Planning and Compensation Act 1991

43 Rights of entry. S

(1) After section 91 of the 1972 Act there is inserted—

“ Rights of entry for enforcement purposes S

91A Right to enter without warrant.

(1) Any person duly authorised in writing by a planning authority may at any reasonable hour enter any land—

(a) to ascertain whether there is or has been any breach of planning control on the land or any other land;

(b) to determine whether any of the powers conferred on a planning authority by sections 84 to 91 or 100 of this Act should be exercised in relation to the land or any other land;

(c) to determine how any such power should be exercised in relation to the land or any other land;

(d) to ascertain whether there has been compliance with any requirement imposed as a result of any such power having been exercised in relation to the land or any other land,

if there are reasonable grounds for entering for the purpose in question.

(2) Any person duly authorised in writing by the Secretary of State may at any reasonable hour enter any land to determine whether an enforcement notice should be issued in relation to the land or any other land, if there are reasonable grounds for entering for that purpose.

(3) The Secretary of State shall not so authorise any person without consulting the planning authority.

(4) Admission to any building used as a dwellinghouse shall not be demanded as of right by virtue of subsection (1) or (2) of this section unless 24 hours’ notice of the intended entry has been given to the occupier of the building.

91B Right to enter under warrant.

(1) If the sheriff is satisfied —

(a) that there are reasonable grounds for entering any land for any of the purposes mentioned in section 91A(1) or (2) of this Act; and

(b) that—

(i) admission to the land has been refused, or a refusal is reasonably apprehended; or

(ii) the case is one of urgency,

he may issue a warrant authorising any person duly authorised in writing to enter the land.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b)(i) of this section admission to land shall be regarded as having been refused if no reply is received to a request for admission within a reasonable period.

(3) A warrant authorises entry on one occasion only and that entry must be—

(a) within one month from the date of the issue of the warrant; and

(b) at a reasonable hour, unless the case is one of urgency.

91C Rights of entry: supplementary provisions.

(1) A person authorised to enter any land in pursuance of a right of entry conferred under or by virtue of section 91A or 91B of this Act (referred to in this section as “a right of entry”)—

(a) shall, if so required, produce evidence of his authority and state the purpose of his entry before so entering;

(b) may take with him such other persons as may be necessary; and

(c) on leaving the land shall, if the owner or occupier is not then present, leave it as effectively secured against trespassers as he found it.

(2) Any person who wilfully obstructs a person acting in the exercise of a right of entry shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(3) If any damage is caused to land or moveable property in the exercise of a right of entry, compensation may be recovered by any person suffering the damage from the authority who gave the written authority for the entry or, as the case may be, the Secretary of State.

(4) The provisions of section 168 of this Act shall apply in relation to compensation under subsection (3) of this section as they apply in relation to compensation under Part VIII of this Act.

(5) If any person who enters any land, in exercise of a right of entry, discloses to any person any information obtained by him while on the land as to any manufacturing process or trade secret, he shall be guilty of an offence.

(6) Subsection (4) does not apply if the disclosure is made by a person in the course of performing his duty in connection with the purpose for which he was authorised to enter the land.

(7) A person who is guilty of an offence under subsection (5) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine or both.”

(2) In section 266(4) of the 1972 Act (compensation for damage caused in exercise of right of entry)—

(a) for “land is damaged" there is substituted “ damage is caused to land or moveable property ”; and

(b) for the words from “in respect of" to “in the land" there is substituted “ may be recovered by any person suffering the damage ”.

Commencement Information

I1 S. 43 wholly in force at 26.3.1992 (subject to art. 5 of S.I. 1992/334) see s. 84(2)(3) and S.I. 1992/334, arts. 4, 5.