Town and Country Planning Act 1990

51 Default powers

(1) Where, by virtue of any of the previous provisions of this Chapter, any survey is required to be carried out, or any local plan or proposals for the alteration, repeal or replacement of such a plan or of a structure plan are required to be prepared or submitted to the Secretary of State, or steps are required to be taken for the adoption of any local plan or any such proposals, then—

(a) if at any time the Secretary of State is satisfied, after holding a local inquiry or other hearing, that the relevant local planning authority are not carrying out the survey or are not taking the steps necessary to enable them to submit or adopt a local plan or such proposals within a reasonable period; or

(b) in a case where a period is specified for the submission or adoption of a local plan or any such proposals, if no such plan or proposals have been submitted or adopted within that period,

the Secretary of State may carry out the survey or prepare and make a local plan or, as the case may be, alter, repeal or replace such a plan or a structure plan, as he thinks fit.

(2) Where under subsection (1) the Secretary of State may do anything which should have been done by a local planning authority (“the defaulting authority”) he may, if he thinks fit, authorise any other local planning authority who appear to him to have an interest in the proper planning of the area of the defaulting authority to do it.

(3) The previous provisions of this Chapter shall, so far as applicable, apply with any necessary modifications in relation to the doing of anything under this section by the Secretary of State or an authority other than the defaulting authority and the thing so done.

(4) The defaulting authority—

(a) shall on demand repay to the Secretary of State so much of any expenses incurred by him in connection with the doing of anything which should have been done by them as he certifies to have been incurred in the performance of their functions; and

(b) shall repay to any other authority who do under this section anything which should have been done by the defaulting authority any expenses certified by the Secretary of State to have been reasonably incurred by that other authority in connection with the doing of that thing.