Water (Scotland) Act 1980

Protection for works of navigation authorities and for railways. S

45 (1) Subject to the provisions of this section and to any provisions of the special Act empowering the undertakers to execute works specified therein, nothing in the special Act shall authorise the undertakers without the consent of the navigation authority concerned—

(a) to interfere with any river, canal, dock, harbour, basin, lock or reservoir so as injuriously to affect navigation thereon or the use thereof or the access thereto, or to interfere with any towing path so as to interrupt the traffic thereon;

(b) to interfere with any bridge crossing any river, canal, dock, harbour or basin;

(c) to execute any works in, across or under any dock, harbour, basin, wharf, quay or lock, or any land which belongs to a navigation authority and is held or used by them for the purposes of their undertaking;

(d) to execute any works which will interfere with the improvement of or the access to any river, canal, dock, harbour, basin, lock, reservoir, or towing path or with any works pertaining thereto or any land necessary for the enjoyment or improvement thereof;

or, without the consent of the railway company concerned, to execute any works along, across or under any railway of a railway company:

Provided that consent under this section shall not be unreasonably withheld, and any question as to whether or not consent is unreasonably withheld shall be determined by arbitration.

(2) Upon an arbitration under this section, the arbiter shall determine—

(i) whether any works which the undertakers propose to execute are such works as under the last foregoing sub-section they are not entitled to execute without consent; and

(ii) if they are such works, whether the injury, if any, to the navigation authority or railway company will be of such a nature as to admit of being fully compensated by money; and

(iii) if the works are of such a nature, the conditions including conditions of a financial character with respect to the payment of compensation, future liabilities and otherwise, subject to which—

(a) the navigation authority or railway company shall, if they so elect, carry out the works on behalf of the undertakers; or

(b) in default of such election, the undertakers may themselves carry out the works.

If the arbiter should determine that the proposed works are such works as the undertakers are not entitled to execute without consent and that the works would cause injury to the navigation authority or railway company of such a nature as not to admit of being fully compensated by money, the undertakers shall not proceed to execute the works, but in any other case they may execute the works, subject to compliance with such conditions, including the payment of such compensation, as the arbiter may have determined.

(3) For the purposes of this section, a navigation authority shall be deemed to be concerned with any river, canal, dock, harbour, basin, lock, reservoir, towing path, wharf, quay or land if it belongs to them and forms part of their undertaking or if they have statutory rights of navigating on or using it or of demanding tolls or dues in respect of navigation thereon or the use thereof.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting the powers of the undertakers under the special Act in respect of the opening and breaking up of streets and bridges.