§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of the land area of England is(a) now urbanised or built upon and (b) likely to be urbanised or built upon by the end of the century based on existing plans.
§ Mr. YeoRecently published research by my Department on rates of urbanisation in England 1981–2001 showed that in 1981, 10.2 per cent. of the land area of England was urbanised and forecast that by 2001 the extent of urbanisation would be 11 per cent., an increase of 7.9 per cent. over a 20-year period. This estimate was based on the likely land requirements to house the projected increase in households, rather than the proposals in structure plans.