The Southampton to London Pipeline Development Consent Order 2020

Acquisition of land

92.—(1) Regardless of any provision in this Order or anything shown on the land plans or contained in the book of reference to the Order, the undertaker must not appropriate or acquire any land interest or appropriate, acquire, or extinguish, interfere with or override any easement, other interest or right and/or apparatus of SSE otherwise than by agreement (such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).

(2) As a condition of agreement between the parties in sub-paragraph (1), prior to the carrying out of any part of the authorised works (or in such other timeframe as may be agreed between SSE and the undertaker) that are subject to the requirements of this Part of this Schedule that will cause any conflict with or breach the terms of any easement and/or other legal or land interest of SSE and/or affects the provisions of any enactment or agreement regulating the relations between SSE and the undertaker in respect of any apparatus laid or erected in land belonging to or secured by the undertaker, the undertaker must as SSE reasonably requires enter into such deeds of consent and variations upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed between SSE and the undertaker acting reasonably and which must be no less favourable on the whole to SSE unless otherwise agreed by SSE.

(3) The undertaker and SSE agree that where there is any inconsistency or duplication between the provisions set out in this Part of this Schedule relating to the relocation and/or removal of apparatus (including but not limited to the payment of costs and expenses relating to such relocation and/or removal of apparatus) and the provisions of any existing easement, rights, agreements and licences granted, used, enjoyed or exercised by SSE and/or other enactments relied upon by SSE as of right or other use in relation to the apparatus, then the provisions in this Schedule must prevail.

(4) Any agreement or consent granted by SSE under paragraph 95, 96 or any other paragraph of this Part of this Schedule, will not be taken to constitute agreement under sub-paragraph (1).

(5) As a condition of an agreement between the parties in sub-paragraph (1) that involves de-commissioned apparatus being left in situ in any land of the undertaker, the undertaker must accept a surrender of any existing easement and/or other interest of SSE in such decommissioned apparatus and consequently acquire title to such decommissioned apparatus and release SSE from all liabilities in respect of such de-commissioned apparatus from the date of such surrender.

(6) Where an undertaker acquires land which is subject to any SSE right or interest (including, without limitation, easements and agreements relating to rights or other interests) and the provisions of paragraph 93 do not apply, the undertaker must—

(a) retain any notice of SSE’s easement, right or other interest on the title to the relevant land when registering the undertaker’s title to such acquired land; and

(b) (where no such notice of SSE’s easement, right or other interest exists in relation to such acquired land or any such notice is registered only on the Land Charges Register) include (with its application to register title to the undertaker’s interest in such acquired land at the Land Registry) a notice of SSE’s easement, right or other interest in relation to such acquired land; and

(c) provide up to date official entry copies to SSE within 20 working days of receipt of such up to date official entry copies.