18Power to provide cold stores and refrigerators for public slaughterhouses
(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, a local authority who have provided, or are about to provide, a public slaughterhouse, may, with the approval of the Minister, provide a cold store or refrigerator for the storage and preservation of meat and other articles of food and may make charges in respect of the use of any such store or refrigerator.
(2)Any proposal by a local authority to provide under this section a cold store or refrigerator within the district of another local authority shall require the consent of that authority ; but that consent shall not be unreasonably withheld and any question whether or not the consent of an authority for the purposes of this subsection is unreasonably withheld shall be referred to and determined by the Minister.
(3)A local authority who intend to apply for the approval of the Minister under subsection (1) above shall, at least one month before making the application, give notice of their intention by advertisement in one or more local newspapers circulating in their district, and, where the consent of the local authority of another district is required, in one or more local newspapers circulating in that district.
(4)The Minister shall consider any objection to the authority's proposals which he may receive within four weeks after the publication of the advertisement from any person appearing to him to be interested, and, in the event of any such objection being received and not withdrawn, shall cause a local inquiry to be held.
(5)Subsections (2) to (5) of section 250 of the [1972 c. 70.] Local Government Act 1972 shall apply in relation to a local inquiry under subsection (4) above as they apply in relation to a local inquiry which a Minister causes to be held under subsection (1) of that section.