Mr. R. C. Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish his report on the proposed Bitterne by-pass scheme, the public inquiry for which was held in 1973; and if he will make a statement giving the full reasons for the delay.
§ Mr. MarksI hope to make an announcement within a few weeks. The public inquiry dealt with a number of proposals by the former Southampton City Council for the Bitterne area of the city. It has only recently been possible for the Hampshire County Council, which became the highway authority for the616W bypass scheme following local government reorganisation to decide its intentions about the scheme in relation to the highways programme for the county as a whole.