Part 4Taking title to land
General vesting declarations
I135General vesting declarations
1
Ministers may vest in themselves by a general vesting declaration any land which they are authorised to acquire compulsorily under section 22.
2
Schedule 15 to the 1997 Act accordingly applies to the compulsory acquisition of land under section 22, with the following modifications—
a
this Act is to be treated as a compulsory purchase order,
b
Ministers are the “acquiring authority”,
c
section 36 of this Act applies instead of paragraph 2, and
d
in the definition of land in paragraph 39, “relevant enactments” means this Act.
I236Duty to publicise general vesting declarations
1
Before making a general vesting declaration, Ministers must—
a
publish a compulsory purchase notice in one or more local newspapers circulating in the locality in which the land comprised in the general vesting declaration is situated,
b
serve a notice in the same or a similar form (together with a copy of this Act and the Parliamentary plans) on—
i
the owner of the land to which the general vesting declaration relates,
ii
any occupier of that land (except tenants for any period of no longer than a month),
iii
the holder of any real burden which would be extinguished under section 25 on the registration of the general vesting declaration, and
iv
if a development management scheme applies to the land, the owners' association concerned.
2
A “compulsory purchase notice” means a notice in the form prescribed for notices under paragraph 6 of the First Schedule to the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 (c.42) which—
a
states that this Act has received Royal Assent,
b
describes the land to which the general vesting declaration relates,
c
names a place where a copy of this Act, of the Parliamentary plans and of the book of reference may be inspected at all reasonable hours,
d
states the effect of paragraphs 1 to 8 of Schedule 15 to the 1997 Act in the manner prescribed for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(a) of paragraph 2 of Schedule 15 to the 1997 Act, and
e
invites every person who, if the general vesting declaration were made, would be entitled to compensation to give Ministers information in the form prescribed for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(b) of that paragraph.