5.44 p.m.
Mr. Dave Anderson (Blaydon): This is a very welcome report, Sir John. I was going to give you a tour of my constituency and the North-East of England, but I will not, other than to say that we have a long and proud history of culture in the North-East. The report is about whether we will have a long future of culture in the North-East. I particularly hope that people will agree with the statement in the report that
"to allow further loss of our...heritage through neglect would be a calamity for which future generations would not forgive us."
We should all accept that.
The report is also right to question how well the Department has performed in cross-departmental negotiations. I hope that it will act with more energy and particularly that it will impress upon the Department for Communities and Local Government the importance of heritage issues when planning guidance is being updated and scrutinised. Being well-meaning is not enough.
I mention a particular case to show that a more powerful Department could play a key role. In my constituency we have Gibside hall and estate. The property was built about 250 years ago by the family of the Queen Mother, the Bowes-Lyons. It was built on the profits from coal. Inside the hall, a crypt chapel has a mausoleum with the bodies of five of the Queen Mother's ancestors. The grounds are magnificent. The stables have been beautifully renovated by the National Trust, and they are now used for educational purposes.
Everything there is going well, except for the fact that it is under threat: a coal contractor is attempting to operate an open-cast mine within 400 m of the site. Only 500,000 tonnes of coal can be mined, and it will take three years to mine it. After massive opposition from all concerned, the application was rightly thrown out by the local authorities. However, a national appeal has been launched. The level of disrespect shown by the contractors is not unique, but their answers to the genuine questions raised by the National Trust about what will happen at Gibside are difficult to believe. I shall quote some of the National Trust's comments in its submission when trying to get information about the impact on Gibside. It said:
"an initial scoping report did not refer to the impact of the proposal on Gibside Estate...the environmental statement did not provide sufficient information to satisfy the Trust that there would not be an adverse impact...supplementary information documents...did not provide evidence to clarify any of our initial concerns...despite the fact that we have, from the outset, asked for proper detailed information...Our case...in some areas (in particular, hydrology, noise, vibration and dust) is difficult to clarify due to continued lack of information. We are unable to make a sound judgement on a proposal which provides insufficient information on impacts and mitigation."
That property is one of the gems of our countryside, part of a green lung for Tyneside. Everyone opposes that development - the local community, the local authorities in Durham, Derwentside and Gateshead, and many public bodies including the airport and Northumbrian Water. They will not be happy with what is going on.
I believe that the Department could play a key role in such cases. If the Department punches its weight; if it says to people, including the Department for Communities and Local Government, that it wants a stake in, and to stand up for, the built environment and the rest of our heritage, I believe that it could do so. It could be done, and it should be done. With cross-party support, we in Parliament could ensure, through the Minister and the Government, that culture has a proper role.
5.49 p.m.
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