HL Deb 07 November 1989 vol 512 cc702-3WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What advice and from what sources has the Secretary of State for the Environment received on whether the Jubilee Hall in Weymouth is a building of architectural or historic interest, and what were the grounds on which he determined that his statutory adviser's advice was wrong in discerning such interest in this building.

Lord Hesketh

English Heritage advised the Secretary of State that the Jubilee Hall should be listed as a building of special architectural or historic interest, and representations in favour of listing were also received from from the Victorian Society, the Theatres Trust, and a number of ' individuals. Representations against listing were received from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and from Carters, who had also commissioned an expert's report on the building. The final decision on whether or not to list a building rests with the Secretary of State and, in this case, after carefully considering English Heritage's advice and all the other evidence, he concluded that the Jubilee Hall was not of sufficient architectural or historic interest to justify its inclusion on the statutory list.