The Litter (Northern Ireland) Order 1994

Street litter: supplementary provisions N.I.

14.—(1) The Department may, by order, specify—

(a) the descriptions of commercial or retail premises in respect of which a street litter control notice may be issued;

(b) the descriptions of land which may be included in a specified area; and

(c) the maximum area of land which may be included in a specified area.

(2) The power to describe premises or land under paragraph (1)(a) or (b) includes power to describe the premises or land by reference to occupation or ownership or to the activities carried on there.

(3) The land comprised in a specified area—

(a) shall include only land of one or more of the descriptions specified under paragraph (1)(b);

(b) shall not include any land which is not—

(i) part of the premises,

(ii) part of a street,

(iii) relevant land of a district council, or

(iv) land under the direct control of any other district council; and

(c) shall not exceed any applicable maximum area specified under paragraph (1)(c);

F1 ...

(4) The requirements which may be imposed by a notice shall relate to the clearing of litter from the specified area and may in particular require—

(a) the provision or emptying of receptacles for litter;

(b) the doing within a period specified in the notice of any such thing as may be so specified[F2 (including the standards to which any such thing must be done)]; or

(c) the doing (while the notice remains in force) at such times or intervals, or within such periods, of any such thing as may be so specified;

but a notice may not require the clearing of litter from any carriageway, except at a time when the carriageway is closed to all vehicular traffic.

(5) In relation to so much of the specified area as is not part of the premises the council shall take account, in determining what requirements to impose, of its own duties under this Order or otherwise, and of any similar duties of any other district council, in relation to that land.

(6) A district council proposing to serve a notice shall—

(a) inform in writing the person on whom the notice is to be served;

(b) give him the opportunity to make representations about the notice within the period of 21 days from the day on which he is so informed; and

(c) take any representations so made into account in making its decision.

(7) A person on whom a notice is served may appeal against the notice to a court of summary jurisdiction within the period of 21 days from the date on which the notice was served; and the court may quash the notice or may quash, vary or add to any requirement imposed by the notice.

[F3 (8) A person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, he fails to comply with a requirement imposed on him by a notice.

(9) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (8) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.]

(10) A district council—

(a) may provide and maintain in any street receptacles for litter;

(b) shall make arrangements for the regular emptying and cleaning of any receptacles provided by it under sub-paragraph (a); and

(c) may clean and empty receptacles for litter provided in any street by any other person.

(11) The regular emptying mentioned in paragraph (10)(b) shall be sufficiently frequent to ensure that no such receptacle or its contents shall become a nuisance or give reasonable grounds for complaint.

(12) A district council shall not provide, or serve a notice requiring the provision of, receptacles for litter except after consultation with the Department.

(13) In this Article “carriageway” has the same meaning as in Article 2(2) of the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993F4 .

F1 Words in art. 14(3) repealed (1.4.2012) by Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 23), s. 78, Sch. 4 Pt. 2; S.R. 2012/13, Sch. 2

F2 Words in art. 14(4)(b) inserted (1.4.2012) by Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 23), ss. 19(2), 78; S.R. 2012/13, Sch. 2

F3 Art. 14(8)(9) substituted (1.4.2012) by Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 23), ss. 19(3), 78; S.R. 2012/13, Sch. 2

F4 1993 NI 15