Part XIII General
Interpretation
151 Interpretation.
1
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—
“approaches”, in relation to a bridge or tunnel, includes the facings of any embankment or cutting adjacent to the bridge or tunnel;
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“building” includes any erection, however, and with whatever material, it is constructed and any part of a building;
“carriageway” shall be construed in accordance with subsection (2) below;
“cattle-grid” has the meaning given by section 41(6) of this Act;
C1 “classified road” shall be construed in accordance with section 11 of this Act;
“common” has the same meaning as in the M1Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947;
F2 “consultation bodies” means–
- a
the appropriate planning authority where the proposed project is likely to affect land in their area;
- aa
F3the National Park authority for any National Park where the proposed project is likely to affect land in the National Park;
- b
Scottish Natural Heritage;
- c
the Scottish Environment Protection Agency established under section 20 of the Environment Act 1995; and
- d
Historic Scotland;
- a
“cycle track” shall be construed in accordance with subsection (2) below;
“days” means clear days;
F4“driver information system” has the same meaning as in Part II of the Road Traffic (Driver Licensing and Information Systems) Act 1989, and references to an “operator” of a driver information system are references to an operator licensed under that Part of that Act;
“enactment” includes an enactment in this Act or in a local or private Act and a provision of an order, a scheme, regulations or any other instrument made under or confirmed by a public general, local or private Act;
F5 “environmental impact assessment” means an assessment in accordance with Council Directive No.85/377/EEC as amended by Council Directive No.97/11/EC;
F6 “environmental statement” means a statement containing the information required by section 20A(7) or (8) of this Act;
“footpath” shall be construed in accordance with subsections (2) and (3)(a) and (b), and “footway” in accordance with subsection (2), below;
“frontager”, in relation to a road or proposed road, means the owner of any land fronting or abutting it;
C2 “improvement”, in relation to a road, means the doing of anything for the benefit of road users, or any class of road users, beyond that which is essential to placing the road in a proper state of repair, and includes the improvement of the amenity—
- a
of the road; and
- b
of land abutting on, or adjacent to, the road;
- a
“local authority” means a F7council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994;
C3 “local roads authority” has the meaning given by paragraph (a) of the definition of “roads authority” in this subsection;
“maintenance” includes—
- a
repair; and
- b
watering to allay dust but, without prejudice to subsection (1) of section 25 of the M2Local Government and Planning (Scotland) Act 1982 (restriction of powers of local authorities as regards street cleansing), not such cleansing as F8a local authority are required by subsections (1) and (3) of that section to undertake;
- a
“navigation authority” means persons authorised by any enactment to work, maintain, conserve, improve or control any canal or other inland navigation, navigable river, estuary, harbour or dock;
“notice” means notice in writing;
“obstruction” includes obstruction of view;
“occupier” means the person in occupation or having the charge, management or control of land, either on his own account or as the agent of another person;
“open space” has the same meaning as in the M3Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947;
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“owner”—
- a
in relation to land means, subject to paragraph (b) below, the person for the time being entitled to receive, or who would, if the same were let, be entitled to receive, the rents of the land, and includes a trustee, factor, tutor or curator, and in the case of public or municipal property applies to the persons to whom the management thereof is entrusted; and
- b
in relation to special roads (whether existing or proposed) includes any person who under the Lands Clauses Acts would be entitled to sell and convey the land to promoters of an undertaking and also includes a lessee under a lease the unexpired portion of which exceeds three years;
- a
“pedal cycle” means a cycle whose motive power is provided solely by the legs of its rider or riders or which complies with the requirements specified in Regulation 4 of the M4Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983;
“private road” means any road other than a public road;
“proposed road” means (without prejudice to the definition in this subsection of “proposed public road”) a new road in course of construction, or proposed to be constructed, by or on behalf of any person;
“proposed public road” means either—
- a
a new road in course of construction, or proposed to be constructed, by or on behalf of a roads authority; or
- b
an existing road which is a prospective public road within the meaning of the F9Part IV of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991;
- a
“public road” means a road which a roads authority have a duty to maintain;
“railway undertakers” means persons authorised by any enactment to carry on a railway undertaking;
“road” means, subject to subsection (3) below, any way (other than a waterway) over which there is a public right of passage (by whatever means F10and whether subject to a toll or not) and includes the road’s verge, and any bridge (whether permanent or temporary) over which, or tunnel through which, the road passes; and any reference to a road includes a part thereof;
- a
in relation to a road or proposed road other than any such as is mentioned in paragraph (b) of this definition, the F11council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 within whose area the road is (such F11local authority being in this Act referred to as a “local roads authority”); and
- b
F12as respects functions relating to the matters reserved by paragraph (c) of Section E1 of Part II of Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998 and exercisablein relation to a trunk road (whether existing or in course of construction) or, without prejudice to section 4 of this Act, to a special road provided by him under section 7(5) (or to be provided by him under section 7(5)(a) or (b)) or to any other road constructed (or to be constructed) by him under section 19(1) of this Act, the Secretary of State F13and as respects any other functions exercisable in relation to any such roads, the Scottish Ministers; and references to “they” in relation to a roads authority shall F14, where the authority is the Secretary of State,be taken to relate also to F15him;
- a
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“special road authority” has the meaning given by section 7(4) of this Act;
“special road” means a road provided or to be provided in accordance with a scheme under section 7 of this Act;
“statutory undertakers” has the same meaning as in F17section 214 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 except that it includes
“swing bridge” includes any opening bridge operated by mechanical means;
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“tidal waters” has the same meaning as in section 35(1) of the M5Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) (Scotland) Act 1951;
“traffic” includes pedestrians and animals;
“traffic sign” has the same meaning as in section 64(1) of the M6Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984;
C1 “trunk road” means a road which is a trunk road by virtue of section 5 of this Act or of an order or direction under that section or F21section 202(3) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997;
“use”, in relation to a road, includes crossing;
“vehicle” means a vehicle of any description and includes a machine or implement of any kind drawn or propelled along roads (whether or not by mechanical power);
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“works”, as regards any road, includes—
- a
making an alteration to it;
- b
breaking up or opening it;
- c
constructing or laying anything under it;
- d
building anything into it; and
- e
carrying out any other operations of a like nature;
and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.
- a
F231A
A way to which the public has access (by whatever means and whether subject to a toll or not) which passes over a bridge constructed in pursuance of powers conferred by, or by an order made under or confirmed by, a private Act shall, for the purposes of the definition of “road” in subsection (1) above, be treated as if there were a public right of passage over it.
2
For the purpose of this Act, where over a road the public right of passage referred to in the definition of “road” in subsection (1) above—
a
is by foot only, the road is—
i
where it is associated with a carriageway, a “footway”; and
ii
where it is not so associated, a “footpath”;
b
is by pedal cycle only, or by pedal cycle and foot only, the road is a “cycle track”;
c
includes such a right by vehicle, other than a right by pedal cycle only, the road is a “carriageway”.
3
This Act does not confer any power or impose any duty as regards a road or proposed road which—
a
being a footpath only, is a public path created under section 30 of the M7Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967 (power of planning authority to create public paths by agreement);
b
being a footpath only, forms part of a long-distance route the proposals for which have been approved by the Secretary of State under section 40(1) of that Act (approval of proposals relating to a long-distance route); or