asked the Minister of Health whether, before he gave his provisional approval to the Whiterdine housing site in the village of Fownhope, Herefordshire, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Town and Country Planning were consulted; whether he is aware that this site is on excellent agricultural land; that it is subject to river mists and has no water supply; and whether he will state why the alternative site, with a potential water supply, was rejected.
Before the provisional approval was given, a joint inspection of the site was made by the county planning officer and technical officers of the Department and in accordance with the usual practice the views of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries are now being obtained. Full account was taken of the factors mentioned and the Whiter-dine site was considered on both planning and housing grounds to be more suitable than the alternative site to which reference is made.