§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
- (a) Whether any of the Ministry of Defence holdings in Kent listed in Part II of the Report of the Defence Lands Committee 1971–73 have been released by the Ministry, and, if so, which; and
787 - (b) If the Ministry have acquired any further holdings in Kent since the publication of that report, and, if so, whether they will give details of these.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (Lord Trefgarne)(a) Land has been released by the Ministry of Defence in the case of the following eight sites mentioned in Part II of the report of the Defence Lands Committee:
(b) Since the publication of the report of the Defence Lands Committee there have been three purchases of land in Kent:
- (i) Chatham (Beacon Hill): 6.65acres
- (ii) Conyer Teynham: 190 acres
- (iii) Dover boat pens: lease surrendered RN oil fuel depot/mooring and salvage depot: lease surrendered Oil fuel installations: lease surrendered
- (iv) Dover/Folkestone (Lydden Spout): l.6m of coastline
- (v) Dover/Folkstone (Hythe, Shorncliffe): 17acres
- (vi) Gillingham: 77 acres
- (vii) Gravesend (Milton Ranges): 70 acres
- (vii) Maidstone (Sandling Wood): 40 acres.
A further property, Lydden Court Farm, Lydden, 174 acres, is in course of acquisition.
- (i) Great Watersend Farm, near Dover: 735 acres
- (ii) Court and Brookers Farm, Luddesdown: 631 acres
- (iii) Ash: 19 acres
§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
What area of land is currently held by the Ministry of Defence in the county of Kent, expressed both as a total acreage and as a percentage of the total area of that county.
§ Lord TrefgarneThe information requested is as follows:
Inland waters are included in the above figures, but tidal waters and foreshore are excluded.
Total Area Column MOD Land Holdings (Freehold and Leasehold) as at 1st April 1983 Column (B) as a percentage of Column (A) (A) (B) (C) 921,784 acres 15,431 acres 1.67 per cent.