Town and Country Planning Act 1971

3 (1) Where the Secretary of State confirms a listed building purchase notice, the council on whom the notice was served (or, if under paragraph 2(7) of this Schedule the Secretary of State modified the notice by substituting another local authority or statutory undertakers for that council, that other local authority or those statutory undertakers) shall be deemed to be authorised to acquire the relevant interest compulsorily in accordance with the provisions of section 114 of this Act and to have served a notice to treat in respect thereof on such date as the Secretary of State may direct.

(2) If, before the end of the relevant period, the Secretary of State has neither confirmed the purchase notice nor taken any such action in respect thereof as is mentioned in sub-paragraphs (3) to (6) of paragraph 2 of this Schedule, and has not notified the owner by whom the notice was served that he does not propose to confirm the notice, the notice shall be deemed to be confirmed at the end of that period and the council on whom the notice was served shall be deemed to have been authorised to acquire the relevant interest compulsorily in accordance with the provisions of section 114 of this Act and to have served a notice to treat in respect thereof at the end of that period.

(3) In this paragraph—

(a) "the relevant interest" means the owner's interest in the land or, if the purchase notice is confirmed by the Secretary of State in respect of only part of the land, the owner's interest in that part;

(b) " the relevant period " is whichever of the following periods first expires, that is to say—

(i) the period of nine months beginning with the date of the service of the purchase notice ; and

(ii) the period of six months beginning with the date on which a copy of the purchase notice was transmitted to the Secretary of State.

(4) Where the Secretary of State has notified the owner by whom a listed building purchase notice has been served of a decision on his part to confirm, or not to confirm, the notice (including any decision to confirm the notice only in respect of part of the land, or to give any direction as to the granting of listed building consent), and that decision of the Secretary of State is quashed under the provisions of Part XII of this Act, the purchase notice shall be treated as cancelled, but the owner may serve a further listed building purchase notice in its place.

(5) For the purposes of any regulations made under this Act as to the time within which a listed building purchase notice may be served, the service of a listed building purchase notice under sub-paragraph (4) of this paragraph shall not be treated as out of time if the notice is served within the period which would be applicable in accordance with those regulations if the decision to refuse listed building consent or to grant it subject to conditions (being the decision in consequence of which the notice is served) had been made on the date on which the decision of the Secretary of State was quashed as mentioned in sub-paragraph (4) of this paragraph.