Housing Act 1957

12 Power of local authority to buy house found on appeal not to be capable of repair at reasonable cost

(1) Where a person has appealed against a notice under this Part of this Act requiring the execution of works to a house, and the judge or court in allowing the appeal has found that the house cannot be rendered fit for human habitation at a reasonable expense, the local authority may purchase that house by agreement or may be authorised by the Minister to purchase it compulsorily ; and the First Schedule to this Act shall apply in relation to a compulsory purchase under this section.

(2) The Minister shall not confirm an order for the compulsory purchase of a house under this section unless the order is submitted to the Minister within six months after the determination of the appeal and if any person being an owner or mortgagee of the house undertakes to carry out to the satisfaction of the Minister, within such period as the Minister may fix, the works specified in the notice against which the appeal was brought, the Minister shall not confirm the compulsory purchase order unless that person has failed to fulfil his undertaking.

(3) If the local authority purchase the house compulsorily they shall forthwith execute all such works as were specified in the notice against which the appeal was brought.

(4) The compensation to be paid for a house purchased compulsorily under this section shall be the value, at the time when the valuation is made, of the site as a cleared site available for development in accordance with the requirements of the building byelaws for the time being in force in the district, but the payment of compensation on a compulsory purchase in pursuance of this section shall be without prejudice to the making of such payment, if any, in respect of the compulsory purchase as is authorised by sections thirty and thirty-one of this Act.