§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is the current value of domestic and other properties acquired by the British Railways Board in pursuance of the building of a high-speed railway line between London and Dolland's Moor, broken down by(a) present market valuations, (b) cost of purchase and (c) present written down value in the books of (i) the British Railways Board, (ii) European Passenger Services Ltd. and (iii) any other public sector body;
(2) how many properties were acquired by the British Railways Board in each borough or district along the route of the proposed high-speed railway line between London and Dolland's Moor; what was the cost of these acquisitions; how many properties have been subsequently disposed of and at what value; and what was the cost of the properties so disposed of.
§ Mr. WattsAll properties acquired in advance of need for the present channel tunnel rail link have been purchased by Union Railways, an agency company wholly owned by the British Railways Board. The present 653W market value and present book value is £13.9 million. Total purchase cost, including home loss and disturbance payments, where appropriate, was £38.8 million. The cost and number of these purchases by local authority area is:
Local authority Cost (£ million) Number Shepway 6.1 42 Ashford 16.7 111 Maidstone 9.6 54 Tonbridge and Mailing 0.3 2 Camden 6.1 2 None of these properties has been sold.