Part VI General

38 Local inquiries

(1) The Secretary of State may cause such local inquiries to be held as he may consider necessary for the purpose of any of his functions under this Act.

(2) Subsections (2) to (5) of section 250 of the [1972 c. 70.] Local Government Act 1972 shall apply in relation to any such inquiry.

39 Service of notices

Sections 231 (except subsection (2)) and 233 (except subsection (8)) of the [1972 c. 70.] Local Government Act 1972 (relating to service of notices on and by local authorities) shall, with necessary modifications, apply with respect to any notice or other document required, or authorised by this Act to be given to, or served on the Authorities or to be given to, or served on any person by or on behalf of the Authorities.

40 Planning permission

(1) Subject to subsection (2) below, in its application to development authorised by this Act, the planning permission specified in subsection (2) below shall have effect as if the authority to develop given by this Act were limited to development begun within 10 years after the passing of this Act.

(2) The planning permission referred to in subsection (1) above is that granted for development permitted by article 3 of, and Class A in Part 11 of Schedule 2 to, the [S.I. 1995/418.] Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (which permits development authorised by private Act designating specifically both the nature of the development thereby authorised and the land on which it may be carried out).

41 Crown rights

(1) Nothing in this Act affects prejudicially any estate, right, power, privilege, authority or exemption of the Crown including (without prejudice to the general law concerning the applicability of statutes to the Duchy of Cornwall) the Duchy of Cornwall and, in particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, nothing in this Act authorises the Authorities to take, use, enter upon or in any manner interfere with any land or hereditaments or any rights of whatsoever description—

(a) belonging to Her Majesty in right of Her Crown and under the management of the Crown Estate Commissioners, without the consent in writing of those commissioners; or

(b) belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall or enjoyed by the possessor for the time being of the Duchy of Cornwall, without the consent of the Duke of Cornwall testified in writing under the seal of the said Duchy or, as the case may be, the consent in writing of two or more of such of the regular officers of the said Duchy or of such other persons as may be authorised under section 39 of the [1863 c. 49.] Duchy of Cornwall Management Act 1863; or

(c) belonging to a government department, or held in trust for Her Majesty for the purposes of a government department, without the consent in writing of that government department.

(2) A consent under this section may be given unconditionally or subject to conditions.

42 Arbitration

Where under any provision of this Act any question or difference (other than a difference as to the meaning or construction of any such provision) is to be determined by arbitration, then such question or difference shall be referred to and settled by a single arbitrator to be agreed between the parties or, failing agreement, to be appointed on the application of either party (after notice in writing to the other) by the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

43 Costs of Act

The costs, charges and expenses preliminary to and of and incidental to the preparing, applying for, obtaining and passing of this Act shall be deemed to be expenses of the undertaking, properly chargeable to revenue.

Section 5.

SCHEDULE Modification of Part I of Act of 1965 in Relation to Purchase of New Rights

1 In the Act of 1965 (hereinafter in this Schedule referred to as “the Act”) for section 7 (which relates to compensation) there shall be substituted the following:—

7 (1) In assessing the compensation to be paid by the Authorities under this Act regard shall be had not only to the extent, if any, to which the value of the land over which the right is purchased is depreciated by the purchase but also to the damage, if any, to be sustained by the owner of the land by reason of injurious affection of other land of the owner by the exercise of the right.

(2) The modifications subject to which subsection (1) of section 44 of the [1973 c. 26.] Land Compensation Act 1973 is to have effect, as applied by subsection (2) of that section to compensation for injurious affection under this section, are that for the words “land is acquired or taken” there shall be substituted the words “a right over land is purchased” and for the words “acquired or taken from him” there shall be substituted the words “over which the right is exercisable”.

2 For section 8 of the Act (which relates to cases in which a vendor cannot be required to sell part only of a building or garden) there shall be substituted the following:—

(1) Where in consequence of the service on a person in pursuance of section 5 of this Act of a notice to treat in respect of a right over land consisting of a house, building or manufactory or of a park or garden belonging to a house (hereinafter in this subsection referred to as “the relevant land”)—

(a) a question of disputed compensation in respect of the purchase of the right would apart from this section fall to be determined by the Lands Tribunal (hereinafter in this section referred to as “the Tribunal”); and

(b) before the Tribunal has determined that question the person satisfies the Tribunal that he has an interest which he is able and willing to sell in the whole of the relevant land and—

(i) where that land consists of a house, building or manufactory, that the right cannot be purchased without material detriment to that land; or

(ii) where that land consists of such a park or garden, that the right cannot be purchased without seriously affecting the amenity or convenience of the house to which that land belongs;

the Tamar Bridge Act 1998 shall, in relation to that person, cease to authorise the purchase of the right and be deemed to authorise the purchase of that person’s interest in the whole of the relevant land including, where the land consists of such a park or garden, the house to which it belongs and the notice shall be deemed to have been served in respect of that interest on such date as the Tribunal directs.

(2) Any question as to the extent of the land in which the Tamar Bridge Act 1998 is deemed to authorise the purchase of an interest by virtue of the preceding subsection shall be determined by the Tribunal.

(3) Where, in consequence of a determination of the Tribunal that it is satisfied as mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, the Tamar Bridge Act 1998 is deemed by virtue of that subsection to authorise the purchase of an interest in land, the Authorities may, at any time within the period of six weeks beginning with the date of the determination, withdraw the notice to treat in consequence of which the determination was made; but nothing in this subsection prejudices any other power of the Authorities to withdraw the notice.

(4) The modifications subject to which subsection (1) of section 58 of the [1973 c. 26.] Land Compensation Act 1973 is to have effect, as applied by subsection (2) of that section to the duty of the Tribunal in determining whether it is satisfied as mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, are that at the beginning of paragraphs (a) and (b) there shall be inserted the words “a right over”, for the word “severance” there shall be substituted the words “right on the whole of the house, building or manufactory or of the house and the park or garden” and for the words “part proposed” and “part is” there shall be substituted respectively the words “right proposed” and “right is”.

3 The following provisions of the Act which state the effect of a deed poll executed in various circumstances where there is no conveyance by persons with interests in the land, namely:—

  • section 9(4) (failure of owners to convey);

  • paragraph 10(3) of Schedule 1 (owners under incapacity);

  • paragraph 2(3) of Schedule 2 (absent and untraced owners); and

  • paragraphs 2(3) and 7(2) of Schedule 4 (common land);

shall be so modified as to secure that, as against persons with interests in the land which are expressed to be overridden by the deed, the right which is to be purchased compulsorily is vested absolutely in the Authorities.

4 Section 11 of the Act (powers of entry) shall be so modified as to secure that, as from the date on which the Authorities have served notice to treat in respect of any right, they have power, exercisable in the like circumstances and subject to the like conditions, to enter for the purpose of exercising that right (which shall be deemed for this purpose to have been created on the date of service of the notice); and sections 12 (penalty for unauthorised entry) and 13 (entry on sheriff’s warrant in the event of obstruction) of the Act shall be modified correspondingly.

5 Section 20 of the Act (compensation for short term tenants) shall apply with the modifications necessary to secure that persons with such interests as are mentioned in that section are compensated in a manner corresponding to that in which they would be compensated on a compulsory acquisition of the interests but taking into account only the extent (if any) of such interference with such interests as is actually caused, or likely to be caused, by the exercise of the right in question.

6 Section 22 of the Act (protection of acquiring authority’s possession of land where by inadvertence an interest in the land has not been purchased) shall be so modified as to enable the Authorities in circumstances corresponding to those referred to in that section, to continue to be entitled to exercise the right in question, subject to compliance with that section as respects compensation.