§ Mr. Wrayasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will detail the instructions given to the armed forces with regard to the respect and protection of the environment when building accommodation for their personnel, preparing exercises or conducting any kind of operations.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Crown is exempt from the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Acts but Government Departments are required to consult local planning authorities before proceeding with development, and the Ministry of Defence adheres strictly to this procedure. Plans to build accommodation for the armed forces are therefore submitted to the local planning authorities, which will take environmental aspects into consideration at that stage.
The Ministry of Defence takes seriously its responsibility to conserve the land used for military purposes and puts much effort into protecting the environment on its estate. When preparing exercises the armed forces consult the landowners and environmental agencies as appropriate and seek to minimise disturbance to the environment from their activities.