§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the present category of blight provisions under the Town and Country Planning Act 1971; what representation he has received in the current year for extending those provisions to other aspects of blight; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Guy BarnettThe blight provisions as they stand following the changes introduced by the Land Compensation Act 1973 and the Community Land Act 1975 strike a reasonable balance between the interests of owners and public authorities in a wide range of situations. My right hon. Friend receives occasional representations, usually where difficulties have arisen in particular cases. He has recently been asked to consider circumstances where blight is alleged to have arisen from a change in the development plan.