§ Mr. Hastingsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total figure for land identified as derelict at the present time in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. FoxThis information is not readily available. The last national survey, made in 1974, showed some 43,000 hectares of derelict land in
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Electorate County District Total £ £ £ WEST MIDLANDS Birmingham … … 756,773 60 141 201 Coventry … … 238,373 54 134 188 Dudley … … 226,433 55 128 183 Sandwell … … 235,764 61 170 231 Solihull … … 146,808 57 134 191 Walsall … … 197,278 57 164 221 Wolverhampton … … 190,172 64 187 251 HEREFORD AND WORCESTER Bromsgrove … … 64,042 159 13 172 Hereford … … 35,773 172 21 193 Leominster … … 28,638 106 9 115 Malvern Hills … … 45,482 184 17 201 Redditch … … 44,904 207 35 242 South Herefordshire … … 35,358 120 9 129 Worcester … … 56,550 210 24 234 Wychavon … … 69,962 169 18 187 Wyre Forest … … 67,066 172 30 202 SHROPSHIRE Bridgnorth … … 35,605 140 10 150 North Shropshire … … 36,239 108 11 119 Oswestry … … 23,436 107 9 116 Shrewsbury and Atcham … … 64,962 169 17 186 South Shropshire … … 26,493 105 13 118 The Wrekin … … 84,936 157 24 181 STAFFORDSHIRE Cannock Chase … … 61,083 160 18 178 East Staffordshire … … 71,274 166 16 182 Lichfield … … 62,540 176 10 186 Newcastle-under-Lyme … … 90,782 135 17 152 South Staffordshire … … 69,735 152 10 162 Stafford … … 85,060 174 16 190 Staffordshire Moorlands … … 71,443 121 10 131 Stoke-on-Trent … … 195,357 158 20 178 Tamworth … … 42,597 161 24 185 England of which about 33,000 hectares was thought to justify reclamation.
I understand that in Scotland some 18,000 hectares of derelict land were identified in 1978 and that in Wales a survey in 1971–72 revealed some 14,500 hectares. No information is available on the amount of derelict land in Northern Ireland.