§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what hope he can offer to people residing in areas scheduled for comprehensive redevelopment schemes, which are now clearly out of date with present-day attitudes to renovation, and the preservation of existing inner urban area communities.
§ Mr. FreesonSince taking office the Government have consistently advocated 665W a policy of gradual renewal by a mix of human scale redevelopment and rehabilitation of housing capable of improvement. I have advised authorities that large-scale clearance should take place only in areas of irredeemably unfit housing. I expect local authorities to act to preserve and enhance communities and existing houses wherever possible. During the last few years this policy has been widely accepted.
GROSS FIXED INVESTMENT IN HOUSING AS A PROPORTION OF GDP EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY MEMBFRS: 1972–1976 Percentage 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 Belgium … … 3.8 5.3 6.2 6.1 6.0 Federal Republic of Germany … … 6.5 6.3 5.3 4.5 ֵ France … … 6.9 7.2 7.7 7.3 7.1 Italy … … 5.8 5.9 6.5 6.1 5.8 Luxembourg … … 5.8 6.4 7.2 7.6 ֵ Netherlands … … 6.4 6.3 5.6 5.2 5.1 United Kingdom … … 3.6 3.8 3.9 4.0 3.9 Ireland … … 5.0 5.1 6.9 6.2 ֵ Denmark … … 5.8 6.5 5.5 4.6 ֵ ֵ = Not available. Not all definitions used are exactly comparable.