The Preesall Underground Gas Storage Facility Order 2015

CHAPTER 4 Supplemental powers

Discharge of water

15.—(1) The undertaker may use any watercourse or any public sewer or drain for the drainage of water in connection with the carrying out or maintenance of the authorised development and for that purpose may lay down, take up and alter pipes and may, on any land within the Order limits, make openings into, and connections with, the watercourse, public sewer or drain.

(2) Any dispute arising from the making of connections to or the use of a public sewer or drain by the undertaker pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be determined as if it were a dispute under section 106 of the Water Industry Act 1991(1) (right to communicate with public sewers).

(3) The undertaker shall not discharge any water into any watercourse, public sewer or drain except with the consent of the person to whom it belongs; and such consent may be given subject to such terms and conditions as that person may reasonably impose, but shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(4) The undertaker shall not make any opening into any public sewer or drain except—

(a) in accordance with plans approved by the person to whom the sewer or drain belongs, but such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld; and

(b) where that person has been given the opportunity to supervise the making of the opening.

(5) The undertaker shall not, in carrying out or maintaining works pursuant to this article, damage or interfere with the bed or banks of any watercourse forming part of a main river.

(6) The undertaker shall take such steps as are reasonably practicable to secure that any water discharged into a watercourse or public sewer or drain pursuant to this article is as free as may be practicable from gravel, soil or other solid substance, oil or matter in suspension.

(7) This article does not authorise the discharge or entry into inland fresh waters or coastal waters of any matter whose entry or discharge into those waters is prohibited by regulation 38 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010(2).

(8) In this article—

(a) “public sewer or drain” means a sewer or drain which belongs to the Homes and Communities Agency, the Environment Agency or a harbour authority within the meaning of section 57 of the Harbours Act 1964(3) (interpretation), an internal drainage board, a joint planning board, a local authority or a sewerage undertaker; and

(b) other expressions, excluding watercourse, used both in this article and in the Water Resources Act 1991 have the same meaning as in that Act.

Protective work to buildings

16.—(1) Subject to the following provisions of this article, the undertaker may at its own expense carry out such protective works to any building lying within the Order limits as the undertaker considers necessary or expedient.

(2) Protective works may be carried out—

(a) at any time before or during the carrying out in the vicinity of the building of any part of the authorised development; or

(b) after the completion of that part of the authorised development in the vicinity of the building at any time up to the end of the period of 5 years beginning with the day on which that part of the authorised development is first opened for use.

(3) For the purpose of determining how the functions under this article are to be exercised, the undertaker may enter and survey any building falling within paragraph (1) and any land within its curtilage.

(4) For the purpose of carrying out protective works under this article to a building, the undertaker may (subject to paragraphs (5) and (6))—

(a) enter the building and any land within its curtilage; and

(b) where the works cannot be carried out reasonably conveniently without entering land which is adjacent to the building but outside its curtilage, enter the adjacent land (but not any building erected on it).

(5) Before exercising—

(a) a right under paragraph (1) to carry out protective works to a building;

(b) a right under paragraph (3) to enter a building and land within its curtilage;

(c) a right under paragraph (4)(a) to enter a building and land within its curtilage; or

(d) a right under paragraph (4)(b) to enter land,

the undertaker shall, except in the case of emergency, serve on the owners and occupiers of the building or land not less than 14 days’ notice of its intention to exercise that right and, in a case falling within sub-paragraph (a) or (c), specifying the protective works proposed to be carried out.

(6) Where a notice is served under paragraph (5)(a), (c) or (d), the owner or occupier of the building or land concerned may, by serving a counter-notice within the period of 10 days beginning with the day on which the notice was served, require the question whether it is necessary or expedient to carry out the protective works or to enter the building or land to be referred to arbitration under article 41 (arbitration).

(7) The undertaker shall compensate the owners and occupiers of any building or land in relation to which rights under this article have been exercised for any loss or damage arising to them by reason of the exercise of those rights.

(8) Where—

(a) protective works are carried out under this article to a building; and

(b) within the period of 5 years beginning with the day on which the part of the authorised development carried out in the vicinity of the building is first opened for use it appears that the protective works are inadequate to protect the building against damage caused by the carrying out or use of that part of the authorised development,

the undertaker shall compensate the owners and occupiers of the building for any loss or damage sustained by them.

(9) Nothing in this article shall relieve the undertaker from any liability to pay compensation under section 10(2) of the 1965 Act (compensation for injurious affection).

(10) Any compensation payable under paragraph (7) or (8) shall be determined, in case of dispute, under Part 1 of the 1961 Act (determination of questions of disputed compensation).

(11) In this article “protective works” in relation to a building means—

(a) underpinning, strengthening and any other works the purpose of which is to prevent damage which may be caused to the building by the carrying out, maintenance or use of the authorised development; and

(b) any works the purpose of which is to remedy any damage which has been caused to the building by the carrying out, maintenance or use of the authorised development.

Authority to survey and investigate the land

17.—(1) The undertaker may for the purposes of this Order enter on any land shown within the Order limits or which may be affected by the authorised development and—

(a) survey or investigate the land;

(b) without prejudice to the generality of sub-paragraph (a), make trial holes in such positions on the land as the undertaker thinks fit to investigate the nature of the surface layer or subsoil or to remove soil samples;

(c) without prejudice to the generality of sub-paragraph (a), carry out ecological or archaeological investigations on such land; and

(d) place on, leave on and remove from the land apparatus for use in connection with the survey or investigation of land or the making of trial holes.

(2) No land may be entered or equipment placed or left on or removed from the land under paragraph (1) unless at least 14 days’ notice has been served on every owner and occupier of the land.

(3) Any person entering land under this article on behalf of the undertaker—

(a) shall, if so required entering the land, produce written evidence of their authority to do so; and

(b) may take with them such vehicles and equipment as are necessary to carry out the survey or investigation or to make the trial holes.

(4) No trial holes shall be made under this article—

(a) in land located within the highway boundary without the consent of the highway authority; or

(b) in a private street without the consent of the street authority,

but such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(5) The undertaker shall compensate the owners and occupiers of the land for any loss or damage arising by reason of the exercise of the authority conferred by this article, such compensation to be determined, in case of dispute, under Part 1 (determination of questions of disputed compensation) of the 1961 Act.

(1)

1991 c. 56; section 106 is amended by sections 36(2) and 99 of the Water Act 2003 (c. 37). There are other amendments to this section which are not relevant to this Order.

(2)

S.I. 2010/675.

(3)

1964 c. 40; there are amendments to section 57 that are not relevant to this Order.