Development of Rural Wales Act 1976

Service of notices under the code

54 (1) Subject to the provisions of this paragraph, any document required or authorised to be served under the new towns code may be served either—

(a) by delivering it to the person on whom it is to be served, or

(b) by leaving it at the usual or last known place of abode of that person, or, in a case where an address for service has been given by that person, at that address, or

(c) by sending it in a prepaid registered letter, or by the recorded delivery service, addressed to that person at his usual or last known place of abode, or, in a case where an address for service has been given by that person, at that address, or

(d) in the case of an incorporated company or body, by delivering it to the secretary or clerk of the company or body at their registered or principal office, or sending it in a prepaid registered letter, or by the recorded delivery service, addressed to the secretary or clerk of the company or body at that office.

(2) Where the document is required or authorised to be served on any person as having an interest in premises, and the name of that person cannot be ascertained after reasonable inquiry, or where the document is required or authorised to be served on any person as an occupier of premises, the document shall be taken to be duly served if—

(a) being addressed to him by the description of " the owner " or "the occupier", as the case may be, of the premises (describing them), it is delivered, left or sent in the manner specified in sub-paragraph (1)(a), (b) or (c) above, or

(b) being addressed to him either by name or in accordance with sub-paragraph (a) above, and marked in such manner as may be prescribed for securing that it shall be plainly identifiable as a communication of importance, it is sent to the premises in a prepaid registered letter or by the recorded delivery service and is not returned to the authority sending it, or is delivered to some person on those premises, or is affixed conspicuously to some object on those premises,

(3) Where the document is required to be served on all persons having interests in, or being occupiers of, premises comprised in any land, and it appears to the authority required to serve the document that any part of that land is unoccupied, the document shall be taken to be duly served on all persons having interests in, and on any occupiers of, premises comprised in that part of the land (other than an owner who in accordance with the provisions of the new towns code in that behalf has given to that authority an address for the service of the notice on him) if, being addressed to " the owners and any occupiers" of that part of the land (describing it) and marked as mentioned in the sub-paragraph (2) above, it is affixed conspicuously to some object on the land.

(4) This paragraph applies also to the service of documents by the acquiring authority under any provision of the [1965 c. 56.] Compulsory Purchase Act 1965 as that Act applies by virtue of section 6(4)(b) of this Act to an acquisition of land under the new towns code.