§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will hold a public inquiry into the intended demolition of nine of the galleries of Alfred Waterhouse's Natural History museum at South Kensington, in view of its status as an important national monument from the Victorian era and the fact that it would be preserved in the alternative and cheaper project of reconstruction devised by the Greater London Council architectural expert, Mr. John Bancroft.
§ Mr. MonroA non-statutory public inquiry into the proposals put forward by the trustees of the Natural History museum for the demolition of the eastern galleries and the erection of a new infill building was held in June 1979. The Greater London Council's alternative scheme was examined at that inquiry and was taken fully into account by my right hon. Friend, before he announced his decision on 8 August 1980 to allow the trustee's proposals to proceed.