HC Deb 11 March 1998 vol 308 c186W
Mr. Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many hectares of green-field land, not classified as Green Belt but currently available for building, there are in England; [33477]

(2) how many hectares of green field land not classified as Green Belt, but available for building, there were in England on 1 May. [33482]

Mr. Raynsford

There is no specific definition of 'green-field' land, but it could be interpreted as 'land not previously developed'. This would include land under rural uses (e.g. agriculture, forestry) and also vacant land in urban areas that was not previously developed. Information on the amount of such land available for housing is not held centrally. My Department is currently working with the Local Government Management Board, local authorities, English Partnerships, and others to provide, by early 1999, a consistent assessment of previously developed land available for housing. This will be the first stage of a comprehensive Land Use Database for England, which will in due course provide a basis for assessing other types of land available for development.

Mr. Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many hectares of green-field land not classified as Green Belt have been built on since 1 May. [33476]

Mr. Raynsford

There is no specific definition of 'green-field' land, but it could be interpreted as 'land not previously developed'. This includes land under rural uses (e.g. agriculture, forestry) and also vacant land in urban areas that was not previously developed. The Department's Land Use Change Statistics provide information on the amount of land not previously developed that has changed to developed uses. Current developments of these statistics will enable separate identification of land inside and outside adopted green belt; estimates for changes that happened in 1994 should be available by mid-1998 and will be updated annually thereafter.

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