National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949

29 Representations and objections as to draft maps and statements

(1) On completing the preparation of a draft map and statement the surveying authority shall notify the Minister and shall cause notice of the preparation thereof, and of places where copies thereof may be inspected at all reasonable hours, and of the time (not being less than four months) within which, and the manner in which, representations or objections with respect to the draft map and statement may be made to the authority, to be published in the London Gazette and in one or more local newspapers circulating in the area of the authority.

(2) At any time after the publication of a notice under the last foregoing subsection and before the expiration of the period specified in the notice for the making of representations and objections, the owner of any land to which the draft map and statement relate, or any other person interested in such land, may require the surveying authority to inform him what documents (if any) creating or modifying any of the rights of way shown on the draft map, being rights of way required to be shown thereon, were taken into account in preparing the draft map, so far as the said land is concerned, and—

(a) as respects any such documents in the possession of the surveying authority, to permit him to inspect them and take copies thereof,

(b) as respects any such documents not in their possession, to give him any information the authority have as to where the documents can be inspected ;

and on any requirement being made under this subsection the surveying authority shall comply therewith within fourteen days of the making of the requirement:

Provided that nothing in this subsection shall be construed as limiting the documentary or other evidence which may be adduced in any proceedings under this Part of this Act in support of the existence of a right of way.

(3) If any representation or objection is duly made to the surveying authority as to anything contained in or omitted from the draft map and statement, the authority, after considering the representation or objection and affording to the person by whom it was made an opportunity of being heard by a person appointed by the authority for the purpose, shall determine what (if any) modification of the particulars contained in the draft map and statement appears to the authority to be requisite in consequence thereof, and shall serve notice of their determination on the person by whom the representation or objection was made.

(4) Where under the last foregoing subsection the surveying authority determine to modify the particulars contained in the draft map and statement by the deletion of a way shown as a public path, or as a road used as a public path, or by the addition of a way so that it will be so shown,—

(a) they shall cause notice of their determination, in such form as may be prescribed by regulations made by the Minister, to be published in the London Gazette and in one or more local newspapers circulating in the area of the authority, specifying the time (not being less than twenty-eight days) within which, and the manner in which, representations or objections with respect to the determination may be made to the authority, and

(b) if any representation or objection is duly made to the authority under the last foregoing paragraph, the authority shall notify the effect of the representation to the person (hereinafter referred to as " the original objector ") who made the representation or objection under subsection (3) of this section and, after considering the representation or objection under the last foregoing paragraph and affording to the person by whom it was made and to the original objector an opportunity of being heard by a person appointed by the authority for the purpose, shall decide whether to maintain or revoke the determination and serve notice of their decision on the person by whom the representation or objection under the last foregoing paragraph was made and on the original objector.

(5) Any person aggrieved—

(a) by a determination of the surveying authority under subsection (3) of this section not to give effect to a representation or objection as to anything omitted from the draft map and statement (other than a limitation or condition to which a right of way is alleged to be subject), or

(b) by a decision of the surveying authority under the last foregoing subsection to maintain a determination to modify the particulars contained in the draft map and statement by the deletion of a way shown as a public path or as a road used as a public path, or

(c) by a decision of the surveying authority under the last foregoing subsection to revoke a determination to modify the said particulars by the addition of a way so that it will be so shown,

may, at any time within twenty-eight days after the service upon him of notice of the determination or decision, serve notice of appeal against that determination or decision on the Minister and on the surveying authority.

(6) Where notice of appeal is duly served under the last foregoing subsection the Minister, after giving to the appellant and to the surveying authority an opportunity of being heard by a person appointed by him for the purpose, shall either dismiss the appeal or direct the authority, in preparing the provisional map and statement in accordance with the provisions of the next following section.—

(a) in the case of an appeal against a determination under subsection (3) of this section, to modify the particulars contained in the draft map and statement in such manner as may be specified in the direction;

(b) in the case of an appeal against a decision under subsection (4) of this section, to reverse the decision.

(7) Where a notice of appeal duly served under subsection (5) of this section relates to a decision of the surveying authority under subsection (4) of this section, the authority shall serve a copy of the notice on the original objector, and the Minister shall give to the original objector an opportunity of being heard under the last foregoing subsection at the same time as the appellant.