§ Mr. Raisonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the total acreage of derelict land in England and Wales; and what proportion this is of the total land area;
(2) what is his estimate of the total acreage of unused land, including derelict land, held by the British Rail Board or its subsidiaries;
(3) what is his estimate of the total acreage of unused land, including derelict land, held by local authorities in England and Wales;
(4) what is his estimate of the total acreage of unused land, including derelict land, held by the nationalised industry boards and related bodies.
§ Mr. ShoreThe total amount of derelict land in England and Wales is about 137,000 acres: this represents 0.37 per cent. of the total land area of these countries. Estimates of the 235W amount of unused land held by the nationalised industries and local authorities could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The latest survey of derelict and despoiled land carried out in England identified as at 1st April 1974 a total of 22,503 acres of derelict land in the category of abandoned British Rail land, of which 15,844 acres was considered to justify restoration.