Orders of the Day — Planning Blight and Worsenment Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 27 February 1970.

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Photo of Mr Niall MacDermot Mr Niall MacDermot , Derby North 12:00, 27 February 1970

Of course I am not. What I am saying is that there are cases where, by reason of hardship, in certain circumstances it is thought right that the community should pay compensation. Equally, where the State acquires compulsorily someone's rights or someone's property, the State must pay the fair and proper market value.

If one is arguing, as it is argued in Clauses 4 to 7, that there should be amendments to that law to deal with cases where people are not paid proper compensation on the acquisition of land, that is something very much open to argument, and I would entirely agree that it should be discussed. But what hon. Members are seeking to do is to equate compensation for worsenment with compensation for the acquisition of an interest or with the acquisition of property, and they want to insure against the risk of any adverse effect on their property as a result of a Government decision. This is a ludicrous proposition.