§ Mr. Nicholas Bakerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of agricultural land have been lost to development during the most recent year for which records are available; and what percentage of those acres lie south of the line between the centres of Bristol and London.
§ Mrs. RumboldEstimates of land transferred from agriculture to development are currently based on the MAFF agricultural census and are considered to be reliable as a five year average. The most recent estimate for the period from mid-1980 to mid-1985 for England is that about 4,400 hectares, equivalent to about 11,000 acres, was transferred from agriculture annually. No reliable estimate is possible for smaller areas.
A new source of information on changes in land use has been developed, using information recorded by the Ordnance Survey in the course of map revision on the new and previous use of land. Returns for 1985 are currently 395W being analysed, and statistics based on them are expected to be published shortly. I will write to my right hon. Friend further when this material is available.