§ Dr. John A. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of derelict land remain in Cumberland; how many acres were reclaimed in 1970, 1971, and 1972; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Graham PageOn 31st December 1971 there were 2,122 acres of which 1,230 acres justify restoration. Acres reclaimed were 146 in 1970, 43 in 1971 and 210 in 1972.
§ Dr. John A. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total area of derelict land in the area which will form the new Cumbria authority.
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§ Mr. Graham PageAbout an estimated 2,800 acres, of which 1,900 will justify restoration.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of derelict land were recorded in England and Wales on 1st January 1973; for how many of these reclamation or redevelopment schemes had been formulated; and how much of the land in question was not eligible for the increased Government grants available under Operation Eyesore.
§ Mr. Graham PageThere were 64,253 acres of derelict land in England shown by the last survey on 31st December 1971 as justifying treatment. None of these should come within the Operation Eyesore scheme which is concerned with a wider range of improvements to unsightly land. Between 1st April 1971 and 28th February 1973 derelict land reclamation schemes covering some 9,000 acres were given final grant approval by the Department, allowing work to start, and much of the remainder will be included in the local authorities' forward programmes. Figures for Wales are matters for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of industrial derelict land in England and Wales is owned by (a) private industry (b) the nationalised industries and corporations, (c) local authorities and (d) individuals.
§ Mr. Graham PageThe derelict land surveys do not record the ownership of the land. Of the 64,253 acres in England shown by the last survey as justifying treatment, land covered by spoilheaps represented 32 per cent., excavations and pits 20 per cent. and other forms of dereliction 48 per cent. Figures for Wales are matters for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 counties with the highest acreages of classified derelict land; and if he is satisfied with the progress being made in reclamation and redevelopment.
§ Mr. Graham PageThe figures from the 1971 derelict land survey in England328W are given in the following table. Encouraging progress is being made in reclaiming the land and bringing it into use. In 1971 in England 4,792 acres of derelict land were cleared, almost double the acreage cleared in 1969. During the first six months of the current financial year more schemes were approved for grant than in the whole of 1969–70.
Administrative Acreage of derelict land justifying restoration at 31st December Counties 1971 Lancashire … 8,344 Durham … 7,380 Yorkshire—West Riding … 6,672 Northumberland … 4,679 Derbyshire … 3,647 Staffordshire … 3,235 Nottinghamshire … 2,096 Cornwall … 1,714 Norfolk … 1,517 Shropshire … 1,380
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of of State for the Environment how many local authorities he or his officials have visited to examine progress being made on the reclamation and redevelopment of derelict land; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Graham PageMinisters have visited each of the priority areas with the most significant derelict land problems.
The Department's regional offices are in close and continuing touch with local authorities in each region about their current schemes and future programmes and to advise them about the generous grant aid which is available for the acquisition and reclamation of derelict land.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the arrangements within his Department for supervising the reclamation and redevelopment of derelict land; and how many staff are engaged on this specific task.
§ Mr. Graham PageEach of the Department's six regional offices has staff responsible for providing advice and help to local authorities in furthering their derelict land reclamation programmes and for dealing with applications for grant. At headquarters a small team of 329W officers is engaged full-time on the general oversight of reclamation matters and dealing with grant applications for the South-East and East Anglia.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of derelict land lie within the boundaries of the 10 largest cities.
§ Mr. Graham PageThe following information is taken from the 1971 survey of derelict land carried out by local planning authorities in England.
County Boroughs(listed in descending order of population size) Acerage of derelict land justifying restoration at 31st December 1971 Birmingham … … … 402 Liverpool … … … 189 Manchester … … … 507 Sheffield … … … 165 Leeds … … … 505 Bristol … … … Nil Teesside … … … 514 Coventry … … … 211 Nottingham … … … 254 Bradford … … … 396
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of derelict land in England and Wales were reclaimed and redeveloped during the period from 1960 to 1972; and how many acres of agricultural land were released for development during the same period.
§ Mr. Graham PageAvailable derelict land figures relate to the period 1964 to 1971 inclusive when 20,471 acres were reclaimed or landscaped in England. This gives an average of 2,559 acres a year, which is steadily rising; the total reclaimed in 1972 was 4,792 acres. The average annual loss of agricultural land to urban uses in England has been estimated at 36,600 acres over the same period. Figures for Wales are matters for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.