PART 4MISCELLANEOUS AND GENERAL
Defence to proceedings in respect of statutory nuisance
26.—(1) Where proceedings are brought under section 82(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990(1) (summary proceedings by person aggrieved by statutory nuisance) in relation to a nuisance falling within paragraph (g) of section 79(1) of that Act (noise emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance) no order shall be made, and no fine may be imposed, under section 82(2) of that Act if the defendant shows—
(a)that the nuisance relates to premises used by Network Rail for the purposes of or in connection with the exercise of the powers conferred by this Order with respect to authorised works and that the nuisance is attributable to the carrying out of authorised works which are being carried out in accordance with a notice served under section 60 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974(2) or a consent given under section 61 or 65 of that Act; or
(b)that the nuisance is a consequence of the operation of the authorised works and that it cannot reasonably be avoided.
(2) The following provisions of the Control of Pollution Act 1974, namely—
(a)section 61(9) (consent for work on construction site to include statement that it does not of itself constitute a defence to proceedings under section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990); and
(b)section 65(8) (corresponding provision in relation to consent for registered noise level to be exceeded),
shall not apply where the consent relates to the use of premises by Network Rail for the purposes of or in connection with the exercise of the powers conferred by this Order with respect to works.
(3) The provisions of this article are without prejudice to the application to the authorised works of section 122 of the Railways Act 1993(3) (statutory authority as a defence to actions in nuisance, etc.) or any rule of common law having similar effect.
Power to lop trees overhanging the authorised works
27.—(1) Network Rail may fell or lop any tree or shrub near any part of the authorised works, or cut back its roots, if it reasonably believes it to be necessary to do so to prevent the tree or shrub—
(a)from obstructing or interfering with the construction, maintenance or operation of the authorised works or any apparatus used on the authorised works; or
(b)from constituting a danger to passengers or to other persons using the authorised works.
(2) In exercising the powers conferred by paragraph (1), Network Rail shall do no unnecessary damage to any tree or shrub and shall pay compensation to any person for any loss or damage arising from the exercise of those powers.
(3) Any dispute as to a person’s entitlement to compensation under paragraph (2), or as to the amount of compensation, shall be determined under Part 1 of the 1961 Act.
Planning permission and supplementary matters
28.—(1) In relation to the application of paragraph (3)(c) of the second Schedule to the Form of Tree Preservation Order set out in the Schedule to the Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation Order) Regulations 1969(4) (including that paragraph applied by regulation 3(ii) of the Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation Order) (Amendment) and (Trees in Conservation Areas)(Exempted Cases) Regulations 1975(5), or as incorporated in any tree preservation order), any direction under section 90(2A) of the 1990 Act deeming planning permission to be granted in relation to the authorised works shall be treated as deeming the permission to have been granted on application made under Part 3 of that Act for the purposes of that Part.
(2) In relation to the application of article 5(1)(d) of the Form of Tree Preservation Order set out in the Schedule to the Town and Country Planning (Trees) Regulations 1999(6) as incorporated in any tree preservation order or as having effect by virtue of regulation 10(1)(a) of those Regulations, any direction under section 90(2A) of the 1990 Act deeming planning permission to be granted in relation to the authorised works shall not be treated as an outline planning permission.
(3) Planning permission which is deemed by a direction under section 90(2A) of the 1990 Act to be granted in relation to the authorised works shall be treated as specific planning permission for the purposes of section 264(3)(a) of that Act (cases in which land is to be treated as operational land for the purposes of that Act).
Obstruction of construction of authorised works
29. Any person who, without reasonable excuse—
(a)obstructs any person acting under the authority of Network Rail in setting out the lines of the scheduled works or in constructing any authorised work; or
(b)interferes with, moves or removes any apparatus belonging to any person acting under the authority of Network Rail,
shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
Statutory undertakers, etc.
30. The provisions of Schedule 8 (statutory undertakers, etc.) shall have effect.
Protection for specified undertakers
31. The provisions of Schedule 9 (protection for specified undertakers) shall have effect.
Protection for operators of electronic communications code networks
32. The provisions of Schedule 10 (protection for operators of electronic communications code networks) shall have effect.
Protection for the Environment Agency
33. The provisions of Schedule 11 (protection for the Environment Agency) shall have effect.
Certification of plans, etc.
34. Network Rail shall, as soon as practicable after the making of this Order, submit copies of the book of reference, the Order sections and the Order plans to the Secretary of State for certification that they are, respectively, true copies of the book of reference, Order sections and Order plans referred to in this Order; and a document so certified shall be admissible in any proceedings as evidence of the contents of the document of which it is a copy.
Service of notices
35.—(1) A notice or other document required or authorised to be served for the purposes of this Order may be served—
(a)by post; or
(b)with the consent of the recipient and subject to paragraphs (6) to (8) by electronic transmission.
(2) Where the person on whom a notice or other document to be served for the purposes of this Order is a body corporate, the notice or document is duly served if it is served on the secretary or clerk of that body.
(3) For the purposes of section 7 of the Interpretation Act 1978(7) (references to service by post) as it applies for the purposes of this article, the proper address of any person in relation to the service on that person of a notice or document under paragraph (1) is, if that person has given an address for service, that address, and otherwise—
(a)in the case of the secretary or clerk of a body corporate, the registered or principal office of that body; and
(b)in any other case, that person’s last known address at the time of service.
(4) Where for the purposes of this Order a notice or other document is required or authorised to be served on a person as having any interest in, or as the occupier of, land and that person’s name or address cannot be ascertained after reasonable enquiry, the notice may be served by—
(a)addressing it to that person by name or by the description “the owner”, or as the case may “the occupier”, of the land (describing it); and
(b)either leaving it in the hands of a person who is or appears to be resident or employed on the land or leaving it conspicuously affixed to some building or object on or near the land.
(5) Where a notice or other document required to be served or sent for the purposes of this Order is served or sent by electronic transmission, the requirement shall be taken to be fulfilled where the recipient of the notice or other document to be transmitted has given consent to the use of electronic transmission either in writing or by electronic transmission.
(6) Where the recipient of a notice or other documents served or sent by electronic transmission notifies the sender within 7 days of receipt that the recipient requires a paper copy of all or any part of that notice or other document the sender shall provide such a copy as soon as reasonably practicable.
(7) Any consent to the use of electronic transmission given by a person may be revoked by that person in accordance with paragraph (8).
(8) Where a person is no longer willing to accept the use of electronic transmission for any of the purposes of this Order—
(a)that person shall give notice in writing or by electronic transmission revoking any consent given by that person for that purpose; and
(b)such revocation shall be final and shall take effect on a date specified by the person in the notice but that date shall not be less than 7 days after the date on which the notice is given.
(9) This article shall not be taken to exclude the employment of any method of service not expressly provided for by it.
No double recovery
36. Compensation shall not be payable in respect of the same matter both under this Order and under any other enactment, any contract or any rule of law.
Arbitration
37. Any difference under any provision of this Order (other than a difference which falls to be determined by the tribunal) shall be referred to and settled by a single arbitrator to be agreed between the parties or, failing agreement, to be appointed on the application of either party (after giving notice in writing to the other) by the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.