Town and Country Planning Act 1990

271 Extinguishment of rights of statutory undertakers: preliminary notices

(1) This section applies where any land has been acquired by a Minister, a local authority or statutory undertakers under Part IX of this Act or Chapter V of Part I of the [1990 c. 9.] Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 or compulsorily under any other enactment or has been appropriated by a local authority for planning purposes, and—

(a) there subsists over that land a right vested in or belonging to statutory undertakers for the purpose of the carrying on of their undertaking, being a right of way or a right of laying down, erecting, continuing or maintaining apparatus on, under or over the land; or

(b) there is on, under or over the land apparatus vested in or belonging to statutory undertakers for the purpose of the carrying on of their undertaking.

(2) If the acquiring or appropriating authority is satisfied that the extinguishment of the right or, as the case may be, the removal of the apparatus, is necessary for the purpose of carrying out any development with a view to which the land was acquired or appropriated, they may serve on the statutory undertakers a notice—

(a) stating that at the end of the relevant period the right will be extinguished; or

(b) requiring that before the end of that period the apparatus shall be removed.

(3) The statutory undertakers on whom a notice is served under subsection (2) may, before the end of the period of 28 days from the date of service of the notice, serve a counter-notice on the acquiring or appropriating authority—

(a) stating that they object to all or any of the provisions of the notice; and

(b) specifying the grounds of their objection.

(4) If no counter-notice is served under subsection (3)—

(a) any right to which the notice relates shall be extinguished at the end of the relevant period; and

(b) if at the end of that period any requirement of the notice as to the removal of any apparatus has not been complied with, the acquiring or appropriating authority may remove the apparatus and dispose of it in any way the authority may think fit.

(5) If a counter-notice is served under subsection (3) on a local authority or on statutory undertakers, the authority or undertakers may either—

(a) withdraw the notice (without prejudice to the service of a further notice); or

(b) apply to the Secretary of State and the appropriate Minister for an order under this section embodying the provisions of the notice, with or without modification.

(6) If a counter-notice is served under subsection (3) on a Minister—

(a) he may withdraw the notice (without prejudice to the service of a further notice); or

(b) he and the appropriate Minister may make an order under this section embodying the provisions of the notice, with or without modification.

(7) In this section any reference to the appropriation of land for planning purposes shall be construed in accordance with section 246(1) as if this section were in Part IX.

(8) For the purposes of this section the relevant period, in relation to a notice served in respect of any right or apparatus, is the period of 28 days from the date of service of the notice or such longer period as may be specified in it in relation to that right or apparatus.