Mr. Andy StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made in his discussions with building societies concerning the mortgageability of BISF houses in Nottingham; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. TrippierThe Abbey National and Halifax building societies have confirmed to officials that their national lending policies make no distinction between BISF houses and those of traditional construction. They treat each house on its individual merits, lending on normal terms up to the societies' usual maximum loan, subject to condition, valuation, and status of the applicant.
352Wfive bathing waters at Blackpool together with the waters at St. Annes North into compliance with the EC bathing water directive by 1993 at a total cost of about £55 million. The date of commencement for this scheme depends upon my right hon. Friend's decision on whether to grant NWWA's applications for consent to discharge from the proposed long sea outfall.
The capital cost of providing, as an alternative, a sewage treatment works with a short sea outfall is estimated to be about £10 million higher than the proposed scheme, with additional costs of about £1 million per annum. However, such a scheme is unlikely to enable all the identified bathing waters in the area to achieve the required EC standards.
Full details of the option of a sewage treatment works combined with a long sea outfall are not available, but I understand that the capital cost would be some £20 million to £30 million higher than the proposed scheme.
North West water authority has been asked to draw up detailed plans to bring the bathing waters at St. Anne's, and other non-complying bathing waters, up to EC standards by 1995. Until these plans have been fully assessed I cannot give details of the costs or compliance dates involved.