Orders of the Day — Sports and Recreational Facilities

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 9:23 pm on 8 May 1985.

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Photo of Mr Neil Macfarlane Mr Neil Macfarlane , Sutton and Cheam 9:23, 8 May 1985

Where applications are brought to the attention of my Department and not resolved locally, I involve myself very much in such issues and developments. That is an integral part of my responsibilities in the Department.

This is a useful debate because it was a pity that technically my hon. Friend's Bill was talked out some months ago. That is a slightly unfair assessment because the Opposition spokesman had only about two minutes on his feet. I do not want the House to be misled. Time was short.

Somewhere there is a misunderstanding by the CCPR about the application of land registers and the role of the Secretary of State and local authorities. It is important to understand that. The suggestion that the Secretary of State should compile a register is inconsistent with our wish to reduce administrative burdens on local authorities and also with the nature of what is essentially a local matter. I do not want us to compile another central register.

Land registers exist to promote the better use of land. They are designed to bring to light the unused and under-used land in the ownership of pubic bodies and expose their plans for that land to public debate. Equally, local authorities are required to make the registers available to the general public. My Department has instructed public bodies not to include on the registers land which is both held and used as public open space or for recreation. Thus, any playing fields that are recorded are either unused or under-used.

An instruction also states that land held for future operational needs should be included. Therefore, it does not follow that land on the registers is to be disposed of or lost to sport. I want to make it clear that using the registers as a basis for assessing the loss of pitches is, at best, misleading.

Already, the Sports Council regional offices are using the copies of the registers at my regional offices to identify sites of odd shapes, sizes or locations which properly command low prices in the general market. I am touched that my hon. Friend referred to my excellent words of 1981 at the CCPR conference, because they get better with the passing of years. One of the better ways to use sporting and recreation organisations is to try to find land which can be used.

My hon. Friend raised many matters, including the Olympic games. I shall write to him about aspects with which I cannot deal tonight. We shall have to wait for the feasibility study. I am aware of the limitations and shortages and of what has to be done. We can speculate, but we all know about the gaps in the network of facilities in our major cities. I do not push the interests of any one city, but I am anxious to ensure that the Government work closely with the British Olympic Association. I remain at its disposal when it has completed its feasibility studies.