Mobile Homes Act 1983

5 Interpretation. E+W+S

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

• [F1 “the appropriate national authority” means—

  (a)

  in relation to England, the Secretary of State, and

  (b)

  in relation to Wales, the National Assembly for Wales;]

• “the court” means—

  (a)

  in relation to England and Wales, the county court for the district in which the protected site is situated or, where the parties have agreed in writing to submit any question arising under this Act or, as the case may be, any agreement to which it applies to arbitration, the arbitrator;

  (b)

  in relation to Scotland, the sheriff having jurisdiction where the protected site is situated or, where the parties have so agreed, the arbiter ;

• “local authority” has the same meaning as in Part I of the M1 Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960;

• “mobile home” has the same meaning as “caravan” has in that Part of that Act ;

• “owner”, in relation to a protected site, means the person who, by virtue of an estate or interest held by him, is entitled to possession of the site or would be so entitled but for the rights of any persons to station mobile homes on land forming part of the site ;

• “planning permission” means permission under [F2 Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990] or [F3 Part III of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997];

• “protected site” does not include any land occupied by a local authority as a caravan site providing accommodation for gipsies or, in Scotland, for persons to whom section 24(8A) of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 applies but, subject to that, has the same meaning as in Part I of the M2 Caravan Sites Act 1968.

(2) In relation to an agreement to which this Act applies—

(a) any reference in this Act to the owner includes a reference to any person who is bound by and entitled to the benefit of the agreement by virtue of subsection (1) of section 3 above; and

(b) subject to subsection (4) of that section, any reference in this Act to the occupier includes a reference to any person who is entitled to the benefit of and bound by the agreement by virtue of subsection (2) or (3) of that section.

(3) A person is a member of another’s family within the meaning of this Act if he is his spouse, [F4 civil partner,] parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece; treating—

(a) any relationship by marriage [F5 or civil partnership] as a relationship by blood, any relationship of the half blood as a relationship of the whole blood and the stepchild of any person as his child; and

(b) an illegitimate person as the legitimate child of his mother and reputed father;

or if they live together as husband and wife [F6 or as if they were civil partners].

[F7 (4) In relation to land in Scotland, any reference in this Act to an “estate or interest” shall be construed as a reference to a right in, or to, the land.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 5(1) inserted (E.W.) (18.1.2005) by Housing Act 2004 (c. 34), ss. 206(3), 270(3)(a)

F2 Words substituted by Planning (Consequential Provisions) Act 1990 (c. 11, SIF 123:1, 2), s. 4, Sch. 2 para. 59

F3 Words in definition of “planning permission” s. 5(1) substituted (27.5.1997) by 1997 c. 11, ss. 4, 6(2), Sch. 2 para. 36

F4 Words in s. 5(3) inserted (5.12.2005) by Civil Partnership Act 2004 (c. 33), s. 263(10)(b), Sch. 27 para. 88(a); S.I. 2005/3175, art. 2(2)

F5 Words in s. 5(3)(a) inserted (5.12.2005) by Civil Partnership Act 2004 (c. 33), s. 263(10)(b), Sch. 27 para. 88(b); S.I. 2005/3175, art. 2(2)

F6 Words in s. 5(3) inserted (5.12.2005) by Civil Partnership Act 2004 (c. 33), s. 263(10)(b), Sch. 27 para. 88(c); S.I. 2005/3175, art. 2(2)

F7 S. 5(4) added (S.) (28.11.2004) by Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 (asp 5), ss. 71, 77(2), Sch. 12 para. 44 (with ss. 58, 62, 75); S.S.I. 2003/456, art. 2

Marginal Citations

M1 1960 c. 62.

M2 1968 c. 52.