§ 63. Mr. Robert Cookeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what use he has made of his powers to regulate the scale of new building in the vicinity of Parliament Square, particularly in relation to the site of Queen Anne's Mansions.
§ Mr. PeytonThe local planning authorities have the primary responsibility for controlling new development near Parliament Square. Outline planning permission was given by Westminster City Council in April, 1969, for the redevelopment of Queen Anne's Mansions for Government offices; detailed plans have not yet been submitted to the council for approval.
§ 64. Mr. Robert Cookeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the extent of the accommodation in Whitehall vacated by his Department on the occasion of its removal to Marsham Street; which Department occupies that accommodation and where it came from; and which Department now occupies their previous accommodation.
§ Mr. Amery74,000 sq. ft. of which 73,000 sq. ft. is in the Government Offices, Great George Street. This move, together with that of the Civil Service Department to the Old Admiralty Building, will enable the occupation of Great George Street to be rationalised. The principal future occupants for the next few years will be the Treasury, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Central Statistical Office. Some of the staff concerned are already in the building; others will be moved from buildings on the Parliamentary Building site and elsewhere which are due for demolition, or to be converted to other uses. Some buildings vacated as a result of the reorganisation will be reallocated to meet new demands.
§ Mr. Robert Cookeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he proposes to take to ensure that Whitehall Court and the Church Commissioners Buildings are given the protection 325W of legislation covering the listing and preservation of buildings of architectural importance.
§ Mr. PeytonThese buildings are already statutorily listed under the Town and Country Planning Acts.
§ Mr. Robert Cookeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will use his powers to prevent any new development involving the buildings in Great George Street opposite the Treasury until he announces a comprehensive plan for the Whitehall and Parliament Square area.
§ Mr. PeytonI can assure my hon. Friend that any decisions on the future of the Broad Sanctuary site will take account of the Government's intentions for the Whitehall and Parliament Square area as a whole.
§ Mr. Robert Cookeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list expenditure since the war on the cleaning and improvement, internal and external, of public buildings in Whitehall and Parliament Square, including rebuilding; and what he plans for the immediate future.
§ Mr. AmeryThe answer to the first part of the Question is that the information is not readily available. The answer to the second part is that the cleaning of Whitehall and Government offices in Parliament Square is due for completion at the end of this calendar year.
§ Mr. Robert Cookeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has made any study into the feasibility of re-routing the underground railway beneath Parliament Square with a view to the construction of underground roadways to relieve surface traffic.
§ Mr. PeytonYes. A road tunnel would cost at least £30 million and realignment of the underground railway alone would cost at least a further £6 million. There would be considerable constructional difficulties, and risk to the structure of Westminster Abbey and other historic buildings.