Housing Act 1957

164Power of court to authorise examination of works on unfit premises or for improvement

(1)Where it is proved to the satisfaction of the court, on an application made in accordance with rules of court by any person entitled to any interest in any land used in whole or in part as a site for houses—

(a)that the premises on the land are, or are likely to become, dangerous or injurious to health or unfit for human habitation, and that the interests of the applicant are thereby prejudiced ; or

(b)that the applicant should be entrusted with the carrying out of a scheme of improvement or reconstruction approved by the local authority of the district in which the land is situate ;

the court may make an order empowering the applicant forthwith to enter on the land and within a period fixed by the order to execute such works as may be necessary, and may order that any lease or agreement for a lease held from the applicant and any derivative under-lease shall be determined, subject to such conditions and to the payment of such compensation as the court may think just.

(2)The court shall include in its order provisions to secure that the proposed works are carried out and may authorise the local authority in whose district the land is situated, or which approved the scheme of improvement or reconstruction, as the case may be, to exercise such supervision or take such action as may be necessary for the purpose.

(3)For the purposes of this section, " court " means the High Court, and the Court of Chancery of the county palatine of Lancaster or Durham or the county court, where those courts respectively have jurisdiction.

(4)As respects the administrative county of London other than the City of London—

(a)the local authority for the purposes of the provisions of this section relating to such premises as are mentioned in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) thereof shall be the metropolitan borough council; and

(b)both the London County Council and the council of a metropolitan borough shall within that borough be local authorities for the purposes of the provisions of this section relating to schemes of improvement or reconstruction.