The Longfield Solar Farm Order 2023

PART 3 STREETS

Street Works

8.—(1) The undertaker may, for the purposes of the authorised development, enter on so much of any of the streets specified in Schedule 4 (streets subject to street works) and may—

(a) break up or open the street, or any sewer, drain or tunnel under it;

(b) drill, tunnel or bore under the street;

(c) place and keep apparatus under the street;

(d) maintain apparatus under the street, change its position or remove it;

(e) repair, replace or otherwise alter the surface or structure of the street or any culvert under the street; and

(f) execute any works required for or incidental to any works referred to in sub-paragraphs (a) to (e).

(2) The authority given by paragraph (1) is a statutory right or licence for the purposes of sections 48(3) (streets, street works and undertakers) and 51(1) (prohibition of unauthorised street works) of the 1991 Act.

(3) Where the undertaker is not the street authority, the provisions of sections 54 (notice of certain works) to 106 (index of defined expressions) of the 1991 Act apply to any street works carried out until paragraph (1).

Power to alter layout, etc., of streets

9.—(1) The undertaker may for the purposes of the authorised development alter the layout of or carry out any works in the street—

(a) in the case of the streets specified in column 2 of the table in Part 1 (permanent alteration of layout and maintained by the highway authority) and Part 2 (permanent alteration of layout and maintained by the street authority) of Schedule 5 (alteration of streets) permanently in the manner specified in relation to that street in column 3; and

(b) in the case of the streets as specified in column 2 of the table in Part 3 (temporary alteration of layout) of Schedule 5 (alteration of streets) temporarily in the manner specified in relation to that street in column 3.

(2) Without prejudice to the specific powers conferred by paragraph (1), but subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), the undertaker may, for the purposes of constructing, operating or maintaining the authorised development, alter the layout of any street and, without limitation on the scope of this paragraph, the undertaker may—

(a) alter the level or increase the width of any kerb, footway, cycle track or verge;

(b) make and maintain passing places; and

(c) alter, remove, replace and relocate any street furniture, including bollards, lighting columns, road signs and chevron signs.

(3) The undertaker must restore any street that has been temporarily altered under this Order to the reasonable satisfaction of the street authority.

(4) The powers conferred by paragraph (2) may not be exercised without the consent of the street authority.

(5) Paragraphs (3) and (4) do not apply where the undertaker is the street authority for a street in which the works are being carried out.

Construction and maintenance of altered streets

10.—(1) The permanent alterations to each of the streets specified in Part 1 (permanent alteration of layout and maintained by the highway authority) of Schedule 5 (alteration of streets) to this Order must be completed to the reasonable satisfaction of the highway authority and, unless otherwise agreed by the highway authority, the alterations must be maintained by and at the expense of the undertaker for a period of 12 months from their completion and from the expiry of that period by and at the expense of the highway authority.

(2) The permanent alterations to each of the streets specified in Part 2 (permanent alteration of layout and maintained by the street authority) of Schedule 5 (alteration of streets) to this Order must be completed to the reasonable satisfaction of the street authority and must be maintained by the undertaker for a period of 12 months from their completion and from the expiry of that period by and at the expense of the street authority.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), the temporary alterations to each of the streets specified in Part 3 (temporary alteration of layout) of Schedule 5 (alteration of streets) must be completed to the reasonable satisfaction of the street authority and the temporary alterations must be maintained by and at the expense of the undertaker.

(4) Those restoration works carried out pursuant to article 9(3) (power to alter layout, etc., of streets) must be completed to the reasonable satisfaction of the street authority and must be maintained by the undertaker for a period of 12 months from their completion and from the expiry of that period by and at the expense of the street authority.

(5) In any action against the undertaker in respect of loss or damage resulting from any failure by it to maintain a street under this article, it is a defence (without prejudice to any other defence or the application of the law relating to contributory negligence) to prove that the undertaker had taken such care as in all the circumstances was reasonably required to secure that the part of the street to which the action relates was not dangerous to traffic.

(6) For the purposes of a defence under paragraph (5), a court must in particular have regard to the following matters—

(a) the character of the street including the traffic which was reasonably to be expected to use it;

(b) the standard of maintenance appropriate for a street of that character and used by such traffic;

(c) the state of repair in which a reasonable person would have expected to find the street;

(d) whether the undertaker knew, or could reasonably have been expected to know, that the condition of the part of the street to which the action relates was likely to cause danger to users of the street; and

(e) where the undertaker could not reasonably have been expected to repair that part of the street before the cause of action arose, what warning notices of its condition had been displayed,

but for the purposes of such a defence it is not relevant that the undertaker had arranged for a competent person to carry out or supervise the maintenance of that part of the street to which the action relates unless it is also proved that the undertaker had given that person proper instructions with regard to the maintenance of the street and that those instructions had been carried out.

(7) Paragraphs (2) to (6) do not apply where the undertaker is the street authority for a street in which the works are being carried out.

Temporary closure of public rights of way

11.—(1) The undertaker, during and for the purposes of constructing or maintaining the authorised development, may temporarily close, prohibit the use of, restrict the use of, authorise the use of, alter or divert any public right of way and may for any reasonable time—

(a) divert the traffic or a class of traffic from the street or public right of way;

(b) authorise the use of motor vehicles on classes of public rights of way where, notwithstanding the provisions of this article, there is otherwise no public right to use motor vehicles; and

(c) subject to paragraph (2), prevent all persons from passing along the public right of way.

(2) The undertaker must provide reasonable access for pedestrians going to or from premises abutting a public right of way affected by the temporary closure, prohibition, restriction, alteration or diversion of a public right of way under this article if there would otherwise be no such access.

(3) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), the undertaker may temporarily close, prohibit the use of, authorise the use of, restrict the use of, alter or divert—

(a) the public rights of way specified in column 2 of the table in Part 1 (public rights of way to be temporarily closed and diverted) of Schedule 6 (public rights of way) to the extent specified in column 3 of that table;

(b) the public rights of way specified in column 2 of the table in Part 2 (permanent use of motor vehicles on public right of way) of Schedule 6 (public rights of way) to the extent specified in column 3 of that table; and

(c) the public rights of way specified in column 2 of the table in Part 3 (temporary management of public rights of way) of Schedule 6 (public rights of way) to the extent specified in column 3 of that table.

(4) The undertaker must not temporarily close, prohibit the use of, authorise the use of, restrict the use of, alter or divert—

(a) any public right of way specified in paragraph (3) without first consulting the street authority; and

(b) any other public right of way without the consent of the street authority, and the street authority may attach reasonable conditions to any such consent.

(5) Any person who suffers loss by the suspension of any private right of way under this article is entitled to compensation to be determined, in case of dispute, under Part 1 (determination of questions of disputed compensation) of the 1961 Act.

(6) Without prejudice to the scope of paragraph (1), the undertaker may use any public right of way which has been temporarily closed under the powers conferred by this article and within the Order limits as a temporary working site.

(7) In this article expressions used in this article and in the 1984 Act have the same meaning.

(8) Nothing in this article prevents the undertaker from temporarily closing, prohibiting the use of, authorising the use of, restricting the use of, altering or diverting a public right of way under this article more than once.

Access to works

12.—(1) The undertaker may, for the purposes of the authorised development—

(a) form and lay out the permanent means of access, or improve existing means of access, in the locations specified in Part 1 (permanent means of access to works) of Schedule 7 (access to works);

(b) form and lay out the temporary means of access in the location specified in Part 2 (temporary means of access) of Schedule 7; and

(c) with the prior approval of the relevant planning authority after consultation with the highway authority, form and lay out such other means of access or improve existing means of access, at such locations within the Order limits as the undertaker reasonably requires for the purposes of the authorised development.

(2) The undertaker must restore any access that has been temporarily created under this Order to the reasonable satisfaction of the street authority.

Agreements with street authorities

13.—(1) A street authority and the undertaker may enter into agreements with respect to—

(a) the strengthening, improvement, repair or reconstruction of any street under the powers conferred by this Order;

(b) any closure, prohibition, restriction, alteration or diversion of a street authorised by this Order;

(c) the undertaking in the street of any of the works referred to in article 8 (street works) and article 10(1)(construction and maintenance of altered streets); or

(d) the adoption by a street authority which is the highway authority of works—

(i) undertaken on a street which is existing public maintainable highway; or

(ii) which the undertaker and highway authority agree to be adopted as public maintainable highway.

(2) If such an agreement provides that the street authority must undertake works on behalf of the undertaker the agreement may, without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1)—

(a) make provision for the street authority to carry out any function under this Order which relates to the street in question;

(b) specify a reasonable time for the completion of the works; and

(c) contain such terms as to payment and otherwise as the parties consider appropriate.

Traffic regulation measures

14.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this article the undertaker may at any time, in the interests of safety and for the purposes of, or in connection with, the construction of the authorised development, temporarily place traffic signs and signals in the extents of the road specified in column 2 of the table in Schedule 8 (traffic regulation measures) and the placing of those traffic signs and signals is deemed to have been permitted by the traffic authority for the purposes of section 65 of the 1984 Act and the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016(1).

(2) Subject to the provisions of this article and without limitation to the exercise of the powers conferred by paragraph (1), the undertaker may make temporary provision for the purposes of the construction or decommissioning of the authorised development—

(a) as to the speed at which vehicles may proceed along any road;

(b) permitting, prohibiting or restricting the stopping, waiting, loading or unloading of vehicles on any road;

(c) as to the prescribed routes for vehicular traffic or the direction or priority of vehicular traffic on any road;

(d) permitting, prohibiting or restricting the use by vehicular traffic or non-vehicular traffic of any road; and

(e) suspending or amening in whole or in part any order made, or having effect as if made, under the 1984 Act.

(3) No speed limit imposed by or under this Order applies to vehicles falling within regulation 3(4) of the Road Traffic Exemptions (Special Forces) (Variation and Amendment) Regulations 2011(2) when in accordance with regulation 3(5) of those regulations.

(4) Before exercising the power conferred by paragraph (2) the undertaker must—

(a) consult with the chief officer of police in whose area the road is situated; and

(b) obtain the written consent of the traffic authority.

(5) The undertaker must not exercise the powers in paragraphs (1) or (2) unless it has—

(a) given not less than 4 weeks’ notice in writing of its intention so to do to the chief officer of police and to the traffic authority in whose area the road is situated; and

(b) not less than 7 days before the provision is to take effect published the undertaker’s intention to make the provision in one or more newspaper circulating in the area in which any road to which the provision relates is situated.

(6) Any provision made under the powers conferred by paragraphs (1) or (2) of this article may be suspended, varied or revoked by the undertaker from time to time by subsequent exercise of the powers conferred by paragraph (1) or (2).

(7) Any provision made by the undertaker under paragraphs (1) or (2)—

(a) must be made by written instrument in such form as the undertaker considers appropriate;

(b) has effect as if duly made by the traffic authority in whose area the road is situated as a traffic regulation order under the 1984 Act and the instrument by which it is effected may specify specific savings and exemptions to which the provision is subject; and

(c) is deemed to be a traffic order for the purposes of Schedule 7 to the Traffic Management Act 2004(3) (road traffic contraventions subject to civil enforcement).

(1)

S.I. 2016/362.

(2)

S.I. 2011/935.

(3)

2004 c. 18.