Harbours Act 1964

9 Control of harbour development

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Minister, with a view to securing the proper control in the national interest of schemes of harbour development that appear to him to involve expenditure of a capital nature, may by order prohibit, in such cases as may be defined in the order by reference to size, cost, relation to other projects, purpose or any other criterion appearing to him to be appropriate, all persons to whom this section applies, or all such persons of a particular class, or particular such persons, from undertaking, or securing the undertaking of, any of the following projects, that is to say—

(a) the execution of works for the construction, reconstruction, improvement or repair of a harbour;

(b) the execution of works for the construction, reconstruction, improvement or repair of buildings or structures, being buildings or structures required for use or used wholly or mainly for the purpose of harbour operations;

(c) the acquisition or taking on hire of plant or equipment required for use in the execution of any such works as aforesaid or for use as mentioned in the last foregoing paragraph,

except under an authorisation in that behalf granted by the Minister.

(2) This section applies to persons engaged in, or proposing to become engaged in, the improvement, maintenance or management of a harbour, or the carrying out of harbour operations.

(3) An authorisation under this section shall not be granted except upon written application in that behalf made to the Minister, and the Minister shall take any such application into consideration and may grant the authorisation either free from, or subject to, such conditions as he thinks fit, or he may refuse it.

(4) The Minister may vary an authorisation granted by him under this section—

(a) where the authorisation has effect without conditions, by attaching conditions thereto ;

(b) where the authorisation has effect subject to conditions, by revoking or varying any of them or by attaching thereto further conditions;

and on varying any such authorisation the Minister shall give written notice thereof to the person to whom the authorisation was granted.

(5) A person undertaking, or securing the undertaking of, a project under an authorisation for the time being subject to any conditions having effect by virtue of subsection (3) or subsection (4) above shall comply with those conditions.

(6) The Minister shall not grant, refuse or vary an authorisation under this section except after consultation with the Council; and the Council, in considering any proposed grant, refusal or variation which is the subject of such a consultation, shall themselves consult, in a case where the proposed grant, refusal or variation is of an authorisation relating to a project for whose undertaking the consent of the Iron and Steel Board is required under the Iron and Steel Act 1953, with that Board, and in any case, with such other persons, being persons appearing to the Council to be concerned, as the Council consider appropriate.

(7) An order under subsection (1) above shall not so define a case by reference to cost as to prohibit a person from undertaking, or securing the undertaking of, a project without the authorisation of the Minister in a case where the project complies with the following conditions, that is to say, its cost does not exceed the sum of £500,000 and it does not form part of a larger project the cost of which exceeds that sum, or of a series of projects the cost of which, in the aggregate, exceeds that sum; and a person shall not, in a case defined in an order made under subsection (1) above otherwise than by reference to cost, be prohibited, by virtue of the order, from undertaking, or securing the undertaking of, a project without the authorisation of the Minister in a case where the project complies with the conditions aforesaid.

(8) An order under subsection (1) above shall be so framed as, in the opinion of the Minister, to secure that there is exempted from any prohibition thereby imposed the undertaking, and the securing of the undertaking, of the execution of works of the nature of routine maintenance and works of the nature of routine repair.

(9) An order under subsection (1) above may, for the purpose of subsection (7) above or any provision contained in the order defining a case by reference to the cost of a project, provide for the ascertainment of the cost of a project by reference to the actual or the estimated expenditure on the project, and that, in computing that cost, there shall be included a sum, ascertained in accordance with the provisions of the order, in respect of such other matters incidental to or consequential on that project as the order may provide, including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provision, the value of any land acquired for, or appropriated to the purpose of, that project.

(10) Subsection (1) above shall not have effect in relation to a project in so far as the project comprises—

(a) the execution of works for the construction, reconstruction or repair of a dry dock; or

(b) the execution of works for the construction, reconstruction or repair of buildings or structures, being buildings or structures required for use or used wholly or mainly for the purpose of the dry docking of a ship ; or

(c) the acquisition or taking on hire of plant or equipment for use in a dry dock.

(11) Nothing in an order under this section shall be taken to prohibit an internal drainage board (within the meaning of the Land Drainage Act 1930) a river board, a river authority, a river purification authority, a district board, an improvement committee, the Conservators of the River Thames or the Lee Conservancy Catchment Board from undertaking any project in the exercise of river works powers or the performance of river works duties.

(12) The Minister may by order made under this subsection substitute for the sum of £500,000 mentioned in subsection (7) above such other sum as is specified in the order; but no order shall be made under this subsection unless a draft of the order has been laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

(13) In this section "harbour" does not include a fishery harbour or marine work and " harbour operations " does not include operations carried out at a fishery harbour or marine work.

(14) Any power conferred by this section to make an order shall include power to vary or revoke the order.