§ Lord Northfieldasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many registers of vacant land in local authority areas have been prepared; how much land has been registered; how much is suitable and actually available for house-building purposes; and how these figures compare with the amount of land used per annum at the expected rate of housebuilding.
§ The Earl of AvonIn all 365 registers have been published, one for every English district and London borough. They contain details of over 100,000 acres of unused and underused land.
The first 35 registers published last year have been examined in detail and about a sixth of the land on them appears to have potential for home-building. The potential for development of land on other registers is still being evaluated.
Future demand for land for house-building will depend on economic circumstances and on the individual decisions of house-builders and local authorities. In broad terms structure plans in England aim to provide land for 180,000 to 190,000 dwellings annually.