§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the percentage of new houses which were built on previously developed land in(a) the South-West and (b) the former Avon area in (i) 1976 to 1996 and (ii) 1996 to date. [144366]
§ Ms Beverley HughesEstimates are currently available for 1989 to 1996 only, which show, as an average for the period, that 38 per cent. of new dwellings in the South-West were built on previously developed land and 35 per cent. in the former Avon area. These figures exclude conversion of existing buildings, which is estimated to add about 3 percentage points to the annual recycling rate for England. The Government have proposed a 50 per cent. recycling target for the South-West.