§ 37. Mr. Sternasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to encourage public sector owners of unused and unuseable land in urban areas to enter into agreements with voluntary bodies involved in investment and improvement of the environment.
§ Mr. John PattenI believe that voluntary organisations have a valuable part to play in helping to bring underused public land back into use and we are already examining ways of encouraging them to do so. Towards the end of 1984 my Department set up a pilot study to identify the scope for and ways of promoting and encouraging the involvement of voluntary organisations in this task. The study covers certain British Rail sites in the north-west and south-west of England and was organised with the help of the National Council for voluntary Organisations. It is too early to reach any firm conclusions from the results so far.