§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they regard the present condition of the Battersea Power Station, a listed building, following the insolvency of the original purchaser, as relevant in deciding on the suitability of potential buyers for other environmentally sensitive public properties.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of National Heritage (Lord Inglewood)The present state of Battersea Power Station is most regrettable.
Bearing in mind this and other cases, particularly those involving the disposal of its own historic buildings, the Government issued a Guidance Note for Departments on the disposal of Surplus Historic Buildings in February 1995, which supplements general instructions in respect of the disposal of historic buildings given in Treasury letter DAO(GEN) 13/92 (Annex A).
The main points of the Guidance Note are that methods of disposal other than open market sale by auction or competitive tender may need to be considered where these will increase the chances of securing the appropriate ownership and use of historic buildings: and that professional advice should, wherever possible, be taken on the financial soundness of the prospective purchaser.