Ministry of Housing and Local Government and Department of the Environment: Planning...

Registered files of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the Department of the Environment relating to rural development, National Parks and the designation of areas of outstanding natural beauty, control of advertisements, sites for gipsies, the registration of comon land and the use of derelict land. The Planning Divisions were responsible also for the listing and preservation of historic buildings, and control of mineral workings, but no files on these have been selected for preservation. Some files include maps and plans. The series includes two files on the Aberfan disaster.

Includes PC files re-registered from KA Series JH 1, KD Series: JH 3 and KC Series: JH 8.

The prefix PC was not used until late 1970. Following the Department of the Environment's creation in 1970, branches of the Division changed from being denoted by a number, (plus one branch using prefix UPD 1) to being denoted by a letter. Following the reorganisation, the Division comprised of four branches: PC1, PC2, PC3 and PC4. The functions of the branches were as follows:

PC1: Listing and preservation of historic buildings. Historic buildings grants. Control of advertisements.

PC2: Countryside questions (liaison with Countryside Commission). Rural development and amenity camping. Commons and Allotment Acts.

PC3: Control of mineral working.

PC4: Derelict land. Caravans and gypsies.

In late 1971 following a reorganisation of the Planning Divisions which expanded the number of branches to five, the functions of which were:

PC1: Listing and preservation of historic buildings. Historic buildings grants. Control of advertisements.

PC2: General questions on rural amenity and recreation and liaison with Countryside Commission. National parks. Trees. Camping. Commons. Allotments and footpaths.

PC3: Control of minerals for use as aggregates.

PC4: Derelict land. Caravan and gypsies.

PC5: Control of mineral working. Legislation and minerals and aggregates.

Following a further reorganisation in 1972 the Planning Division C and its branches were abolished and the functions split between Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings and Planning, Minerals and Countryside Directorates.

Files in this series were originally registered under the P and UPD prefixes and were re-registered into the PC series.