§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to obtain planning consent from the Devon county council and the Dartmoor national park authority with regard to new soil testing, new borehole drilling and land disfigurement in the Okehampton deer park within the Dartmoor national park boundaries prior to the consideration by Parliament of orders he has laid regarding the proposed line of the Okehampton bypass.
328W
§ Mrs. ChalkerMy right hon. Friend has power to carry out soil testing and borehole drilling in connection with the exercise of his statutory functions as highway authority under power conferred by section 289 of the Highways Act 1980. No planning consent is therefore required.
He has decided that such survey work should not be carried out in connection with the proposed Okehampton bypass before the compulsory purchase orders, which will be subject to special parliamentary procedure, have been considered by Parliament.