§ 44. Mr. Dorrellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice his Department gives to members of the public and local residents who wish to bring derelict plots of land back into use.
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§ Mr. John PattenMy right hon. Friend maintains registers of publicly owned unused and underused land, some of which may be derelict. Members of the public may inspect a copy of the register for their area, free of charge, during normal office hours, at the principal office of their district council or London borough council. The registers for the districts in each region are also available for inspection at the appropriate regional office of the Department and a complete set of all the registers is open for inspection at the Department's offices at 2 Marsham street, London SW1.
In addition, my right hon. Friend has invited people to bring to his attention areas of publicly owned land, of whatever size, which they believe should be entered on the register, and, where land is already registered, to request him to use his powers to direct the owners to dispose of it.
Where land is in need of reclamation before it can be brought back into use, application can be made to the Department for derelict land grant. Guidance notes setting out the principles and availability of derelict land grant are provided on request. Potential applicants are advised to consult the appropriate regional office of the Department at an early stage in drawing up their proposals for reclamation.