New Towns Act 1981

26 Extinguishment of rights of way and removal of apparatus.E+W

(1)This section applies to land—

(a)which has been acquired for the purposes of this Act by a development corporation or local highway authority and is for the time being held by that corporation or authority for those purposes, or

(b)which has been acquired under this Act by the Secretary of State and is for the time being held for the purposes for which he acquired it.

(2)Where, in the case of any land to which this section applies—

(a)there subsists over that land a right vested in or belonging to statutory undertakers for the purpose of the carrying on of their undertaking, being a right of way or a right of laying down, erecting, continuing or maintaining apparatus on, under or over the land, or

(b)there is on, under or over the land apparatus vested in or belonging to statutory undertakers for the purpose of the carrying on of their undertaking,

the acquiring authority may serve on the statutory undertakers a notice stating that, at the end of such period as may be specified in the notice, the right will be extinguished, or requiring that, before the end of such period as may be so specified, the apparatus shall be removed.

(3)The statutory undertakers on whom a notice is served under subsection (2) above may, before the end of the period of 28 days from the service of the notice, serve a counter-notice on the acquiring authority stating that they object to all or any of the provisions of the notice, and specifying the grounds of their objection.

(4)If no counter-notice is served under subsection (3) above—

(a)any right to which the notice relates shall be extinguished at the end of the period specified in that behalf in the notice; and

(b)if, at the end of the period so specified in relation to any apparatus, any requirement of the notice as to the removal of the apparatus has not been complied with, the acquiring authority may remove the apparatus and dispose of it in any way the authority may think fit.

(5)If a counter-notice is served under subsection (3) on a development corporation or local highway authority, the corporation or authority—

(a)may either withdraw the notice (without prejudice to the service of a further notice), or

(b)may apply to the Secretary of State and the appropriate Minister for an order under this section embodying the provisions of the notice, with or without modification,

and if such an application is made the Secretary of State and the appropriate Minister may make an order under this section accordingly.

(6)If a counter-notice is served under subsection (3) on the Secretary of State, he may withdraw the notice (without prejudice to the service of a further notice) or he and the appropriate Minister may make an order under this section embodying the provisions of the notice, with or without modification.

(7)Where, by virtue of this section—

(a)any right vested in or belonging to statutory undertakers is ’ extinguished, or

(b)any requirement is imposed on statutory undertakers,

those undertakers shall be entitled to compensation from the acquiring authority at whose instance the right was extinguished or the requirement imposed; and Schedule 7 to this Act has effect as regards the assessment of the amount of that compensation.

[F1(8)Except in a case in which section 24 above has effect—

(a) the reference in paragraph ( a ) of subsection (2) above to a right vested in or belonging to statutory undertakers for the purpose of the carrying on of their undertaking shall include a reference to a right conferred by or [F2in accordance with the electronic communications code] on the operator of [F3an electronic communications code network]; and

(b) the reference in paragraph ( b ) of that subsection to apparatus vested in or belonging to statutory undertakers for the purpose of the carrying on of their undertaking shall include a reference to [F4electronic communications apparatus] kept installed for the purposes of any [F5such network];

and for the purposes of this subsection, in this section (except in the said paragraphs ( a ) and ( b ) ) and in Schedule 7 to this Act and section 27 below, references to statutory undertakers shall have effect as references to the operator of any [F5such network], references, in relation to such an operator, to the carrying on of his undertaking shall have effect as references to [F6the provision of the electronic communications code network] in question and references to the appropriate Minister shall have effect as references to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.]