HL Deb 30 June 2004 vol 663 cc24-5WA

Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much land is held by government departments, the National Health Service and other public institutions; and what proportion could be made available for house building. [HL3399]

The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker): Estimates of previously developed land in England that may be suitable for development (brownfield land) are available from the national land use database of previously developed land for 2002. An estimated 13,000 hectares were owned by central government and other public sector bodies, excluding local government. Of these about 6,000 hectares were judged by the local authorities to be potentially suitable for housing, with a capacity of 160,000 dwellings. These figures include both previously developed land and buildings that are vacant or derelict and land currently in use identified by local authorities as having potential for redevelopment.

Following the publication of the Sustainable Communities Plan (Feb 2003) the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, through English Partnerships, set up a register of surplus land held by central government and its agencies. Any department proposing to dispose of land which is surplus to its own operational requirements now has to place that land on the register for a period of 40 working days before the land is marketed. This procedure gives the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, English Partnerships or other departments the opportunity to express an interest in acquiring the land to take forward its own policy objectives, before it is marketed to the private sector. In April 2004 land on the register covered over 2,700 hectares.