HC Deb 13 January 1988 vol 125 c271W
Mr. Geraint Howells

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many miles of hedgerows have been lost in England during the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Moynihan

The current rate of hedgerow removal is not easy to establish and information is not available over this particular time scale. Results from the monitoring landscape change survey published in 1986 and conducted by Huntings Technical Services Ltd. for the Countryside Commission and this Department (a copy of which is in the Library of the House), indicated that hedgerow length in England fell from approximately 359,000 miles in 1969 to approximately 315,000 miles in 1985. However, figures produced by a MAFF survey show an average loss of 500 miles per year in England and Wales between 1981 and 1985. Work is continuing to enable us to improve our information on both the rate of removal and the extent of new planting, so that the position can be kept under review.