318Ecclesiastical property
(1)Without prejudice to the provisions of the [1981 c. 67.] Acquisition of Land Act 1981 with respect to notices served under that Act, where under any of the provisions of this Act a notice or copy of a notice is required to be served on an owner of land, and the land is ecclesiastical property, a similar notice or copy of a notice shall be served on the Church Commissioners.
(2)Where the fee simple of any ecclesiastical property is in abeyance—
(a)if the property is situated elsewhere than in Wales, then for the purposes of the provisions specified in Part VI of Schedule 16 the fee simple shall be treated as being vested in the Church Commissioners;
(b)in any case, the fee simple shall, for the purposes of a compulsory acquisition of the property under Part IX, be treated as being vested in the Church Commissioners, and any notice to treat shall be served, or be deemed to have been served, accordingly.
(3)Any compensation payable under Part IV, section 186, Part VIII (except section 204) or section 250 in respect of land which is ecclesiastical property—
(a)shall be paid to the Church Commissioners, and
(b)shall be applied by them for the purposes for which the proceeds of a sale by agreement of the land would be applicable under any enactment or Measure authorising or disposing of the proceeds of such a sale.
(4)Any sum which under any of the provisions specified in Part III of Schedule 16 is payable in relation to land which is, or on 1st July 1948 was, ecclesiastical property, and apart from this subsection would be payable to an incumbent—
(a)shall be paid to the Church Commissioners, and
(b)shall be applied by them for the purposes mentioned in subsection (3)(b).
(5)Where any sum is recoverable under section 111, 112, 133 or 327 in respect of any such land, the Church Commissioners may apply any money or securities held by them in the payment of that sum.
(6)In this section “ecclesiastical property” means land belonging to an ecclesiastical benefice, or being or forming part of a church subject to the jurisdiction of a bishop of any diocese or the site of such a church, or being or forming part of a burial ground subject to such jurisdiction.