§ 59. Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average annual loss of agricultural land in the United Kingdom for urban development since 1979.
§ 98. Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average loss of agricultural land in both private and public sectors to housing development and other uses since 1979.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerInformation published by the Department shows that the average area of land in England recorded each year by the Ordance Survey as changing from agricultural to urban use in the period 1985 to 1988 was 5,760 hectares per annum. Further details are given in the Department's statistical bulletins, copies of which are in the Library.
Figures for earlier years are given in planning policy guidance note 7 "Rural Enterprise and Development", but are not directly comparable with the figures for 1985–88.