Vacant Public Land (Hansard, 10 December 1990)

§ Dr. Kim Howells
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the relationship between the terms vacant public sector land used in the title of the consultation paper, "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Sector Land" and the terms underused or unused land used in the body of the paper.

§ Mr. Yeo
Existing and proposed arrangements for entry on registers and for the power to direct disposal relate to unused and underused land. The term "vacant land" is employed in the paper as a general term covering both.

§ Dr. Kim Howells
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether the Government are considering any proposals requiring the purchasers of the unused or underused land to bring the land forward for development within a fixed timetable or else to return the land to the local authority; and if he will make a statement;
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(2) if the windfall profits arising from the sale by developers of land currently owned by local authorities will be shared with those authorities if the consultation paper, "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Sector Land", becomes Government policy;
(3) for what reasons he has limited the grounds of appeal referred to in the consultation paper, "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Sector Land", so as not to include an appeal on the basis that the land referred to is not unused or underused, or that the method and timing of disposal is imprudent.

§ Mr. Yeo
In the consultation paper we proposed that tenderers for a franchise would be required to state their plans for the development and use of the sites included in the package (paragraph 3.18(b)); that arrangements for clawback would be triggered by certain events listed (annex C paragraph 11); and that the grounds of appeal to which owners making representations would be limited would include certain grounds listed (paragraph 3.16). Responses to the consultation paper have included the points raised by the hon. Member and will be taken into account in our further consideration of these issues.

§ Dr. Kim Howells
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his reasons for proposing in the consultation paper, "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Sector Land", a requirement for local authorities to pay for the discounts which will be given to developers to purchase local authority land assets.

§ Mr. Yeo
The discounts were proposed as an incentive to bring as many as possible of the sites contained in each franchise package into use. Public sector owners dissatisfied with the arrangements could bring into use or dispose of their sites before directions establishing a franchise were issued. All the responses to the consultation paper are currently being analysed and will be taken into account in our further consideration of measures to encourage the use of vacant public land.