§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the number of applications received under Section 8 of the Transport Act 1974 for grants for private rail sidings, the numbers granted and under consideration, respectively, the number which he has taken six months or more to determine, and the cost for a typical length of siding excluding site preparations.
§ Mr. HoramThe information requested is as follows:
Approved … 23 Refused … 6 Withdrawn or not pursued … 11 Under consideration … 31 The "under consideration" category includes some cases on which a decision is expected shortly and others at earlier 751W stages of planning, evaluation or consultation about the completion of an application. No case has taken six months to determine once the application has been completed. Siding costs vary very considerably—from less than £25 per metre to more than £75 per metre—and are often only part of the total cost of a project. Projects range in cost from less than £5,000 to more than £2 million.