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Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Answer

Mrs. Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will make a statement on the progress of granting special status for the Forest of Dean; and what advice he has given to local planning authorities concerning the Forest of Dean and the local minerals plan; [124168] (2) if he has instructed the local planning authorities and the Mineral Planning Authority to treat the Forest of Dean as if it were an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. [124169] Mr. Mullin: The Countryside Agency decided in November last year not to pursue the designation of the Forest of Dean as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at this time but instead to devise a package of regeneration measures to deliver integrated rural development in the Forest. The Government Office for the South West has submitted comments to Gloucestershire County Council on the initial and revised deposit drafts of the Minerals Local Plan, with a request that they be drawn to the attention of the Inspector at any public local inquiry and be made public. We are still considering a proposal from the Countryside Agency that we should advise the Council to treat the Forest of Dean as if it were an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for the purposes of the Minerals Local Plan.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

351 c209W; 124168;124169

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Environment protection Mining Minerals Forest of Dean

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk