8 Certificates as to applicant’s status etc.E+W
(1)Regulations under this Act may provide that an application for hazardous substances consent or an appeal against the refusal of such an application or against the imposition of a condition on such a consent shall not be entertained unless it is accompanied by one of the following certificates in the prescribed form and signed by or on behalf of the applicant—
(a)a certificate stating that, at the beginning of the period of 21 days ending with the date of the application, no person (other than the applicant) was the owner of any of the land to which the application relates;
(b)a certificate stating that the applicant has given the requisite notice of the application to all the persons (other than himself) who, at the beginning of that period, were owners of any of the land to which the application relates;
(c)a certificate stating that—
(i)the applicant is unable to issue a certificate in accordance with paragraph (a) or (b);
(ii)he has given the requisite notice of the application to such one or more of the persons mentioned in paragraph (b) as are specified in the certificate;
(iii)he has taken such steps as are reasonably open to him (specifying them) to ascertain the names and addresses of the remainder of those persons but has been unable to do so;
(d)a certificate stating that—
(i)the applicant is unable to issue a certificate in accordance with paragraph (a);
(ii)he has taken such steps as are reasonably open to him (specifying them) to ascertain the names and addresses of the persons mentioned in paragraph (b) but has been unable to do so.
(2)Where such provision is made any such certificate as is mentioned in subsection (1)(b) or (c) must set out—
(a)the names of those persons to whom the applicant has given the requisite notice of the application;
(b)the addresses at which notice was given to them;
(c)the date of service of each such notice.
(3)Such regulations may require that any such certificate as is mentioned in subsection (1)(c) or (d) shall also contain a statement that the requisite notice of the application, as set out in the certificate, has on a date specified in the certificate (which must not be earlier than the beginning of the period mentioned in subsection (1)(a)) been published in a local newspaper circulating in the locality in which the land in question is situated.
(4)Such regulations may also require that where an application is accompanied by such a certificate as is mentioned in subsection (1)(b),(c) or (d) the hazardous substances authority—
(a)shall not determine the application before the end of the period of 21 days beginning with the date appearing from the certificate to be the latest of the dates of service of notices as mentioned in the certificate or, if later, the date of publication of a notice as so mentioned;
(b)in determining the application, shall take into account any representations relating to it which are made to them before the end of that period by any person who satisfies them that he is an owner of any land to which the application relates; and
(c)shall give notice of their decision to every person who has made representations which they were required to take into account in accordance with paragraph (b).
(5)Such regulations may also make provision as to who is to be treated as the owner of land for the purposes of any provisions of the regulations.
(6)If any person—
(a)issues a certificate which purports to comply with the requirements of regulations made by virtue of this section and contains a statement which he knows to be false or misleading in a material particular; or
(b)recklessly issues a certificate which purports to comply with those requirements and contains such a statement,
he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(7)Regulations under this section may make different provision for different cases or descriptions of cases.
(8)Subject to subsection (5), in this section “owner,” in relation to any land, means a person who is for the time being the estate owner in respect of the fee simple in the land or is entitled to a tenancy of the land granted or extended for a term of years certain, of which not less than seven years remain unexpired.
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1S. 8 Power to apply conferred (10.11.1993) by 1993 c. 28, ss. 171(4)(c); S.I. 1993/2762, art.3
Commencement Information