§ Miss Lestorasked the Secretary of State for the Environment under what circumstances his Department can refuse its consent to the siting of oil depots on railway land.
§ Mr. RipponRailway undertakings have a general permission under the planning Acts to carry out on operational land certain development required in connection with the movement of traffic by rail. This permission can be withdrawn by a direction which requires my approval. Until 1st March 1973 this permission was available to lessees of a railway undertaking. However the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1973 (SI 1973, No. 31), which came into force on that date, withdrew the permission in relation to future development by lessees.
A commercial operator proposing to develop railway land is now required to 332W seek permission from the local planning authority in the same way and in the same circumstances as for development of non-railway land. If a proposal came to me on appeal from the decision of the local planning authority, or because I had required it to refer the application to me, I would decide the matter on the planning merits.