The Hornsea Four Offshore Wind Farm Order 2023

Temporary use of land for maintaining the authorised project E+W+S

29.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), at any time during the maintenance period relating to any part of the authorised project, the undertaker may—

(a) enter on and take temporary possession of any of the Order land if such possession is reasonably required for the purpose of maintaining the authorised project;

(b) enter on any of the Order land for the purpose of gaining such access as is reasonably required for the purpose of maintaining the authorised project; and

(c) construct such temporary works (including the provision of means of access) and buildings on the land as may be reasonably necessary for that purpose.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not authorise the undertaker to take temporary possession of—

(a) any house or garden belonging to a house; or

(b) any building (other than a house) if it is for the time being occupied.

(3) Not less than 28 days before entering on and taking temporary possession of land under this article the undertaker must serve notice of the intended entry on the owners and occupiers of the land.

(4) The undertaker may only remain in possession of land under this article for so long as may be reasonably necessary to carry out the maintenance of the part of the authorised project for which possession of the land was taken.

(5) Before giving up possession of land of which temporary possession has been taken under this article, the undertaker must remove all temporary works and restore the land to the reasonable satisfaction of the owners of the land.

(6) The undertaker must pay compensation to the owners and occupiers of land of which temporary possession is taken under this article for any loss or damage arising from the exercise in relation to the land of the provisions of this article.

(7) Any dispute as to a person’s entitlement to compensation under paragraph (6), or as to the amount of the compensation, must be determined under Part 1 (determination of questions of disputed compensation) of the 1961 Act.

(8) Nothing in this article affects any liability to pay compensation under section 152 (compensation in case where no right to claim in nuisance) of the 2008 Act or under any other enactment in respect of loss or damage arising from the maintenance of the authorised project, other than loss or damage for which compensation is payable under paragraph (6).

(9) Where the undertaker takes possession of land under this article, the undertaker is not required to acquire the land or any interest in it.

(10) Section 13 of the 1965 Act (refusal to give possession to acquiring authority) applies to the temporary use of land pursuant to this article to the same extent as it applies to the compulsory acquisition of land under this Order by virtue of section 125 of the 2008 Act (application of compulsory acquisition provisions).

(11) In this article “the maintenance period” means the period of 5 years beginning with the date on which the authorised project first exports electricity to the national electricity transmission network, unless a different maintenance period is stated in the landscape management plan approved under requirement 8 or in the code of construction practice approved under requirement 18.

(12) So much of the special category land as is required for the purposes of exercising the powers pursuant to this article is temporarily discharged from all rights, trusts and incidents to which it was previously subject, so far as their continuance would be inconsistent with the exercise of those powers, and only for such time as any special category land is being used under this article.

(13) At any time where the undertaker has taken temporary possession of any part of the Driffield Navigation under this article, on the starting date specified in the notice given under paragraph (15) and for the duration specified in notice given under paragraph (15), the public right of navigation over that part of the Driffield Navigation is suspended and unenforceable against the Driffield Navigation Trust.

(14) Any person who suffers loss as a result of the suspension of any private right of navigation over the Driffield Navigation under this article is entitled to be paid compensation for such loss by the undertaker, to be determined, in case of dispute, under Part 1 (determination of questions of disputed compensation) of the 1961 Act.

(15) Not later than 28 days prior to the proposed start of any suspension of the public right of navigation over the Driffield Navigation under this article, the undertaker must give written notice to the Driffield Navigation Trust except in the case of an emergency when the undertaker must give such notice as is reasonably practicable.

(16) A notice given under paragraph (15) must provide details of the proposed suspension including particulars of the—

(a) start date;

(b) duration; and

(c) affected area.

(17) Following receipt of a notice given under paragraph (15), the Driffield Navigation Trust must issue a notice to mariners within 14 days, giving the starting date and other particulars of the suspension to which the notice relates, and that suspension will take effect on the date specified and as otherwise described in the notice.

Commencement Information

I1 Art. 29 in force at 3.8.2023, see art. 1