10.—(1) The Company may upon such terms and conditions as it thinks fit grant to any person a licence to dredge in any part of a harbour area.
(2) Application for a dredging licence shall be made in writing to the Company and shall be accompanied by–
(a)plans, sections and particulars defining the nature, extent and manner of the operations in respect of which application is made; and
(b)a copy of a notice published in a newspaper circulating in the locality of the harbour stating that it is intended to make the application containing a general description of the position, nature, extent and manner of those operations specifying a place where a copy of the plans, sections and particulars of the proposed operations may be inspected at all reasonable hours and stating that any person who desires to object to the Company to the grant of the application should do so in writing stating the grounds of his objection before the expiration of the period of 28 days from the date of publication of the notice.
(3) In deciding whether or not to grant a dredging licence or as to the terms and conditions to be included in the licence the Company shall take into consideration any objection made to it in accordance with paragraph (2)(b) above (hereinafter in this article and in article 11 below referred to as a competent objection) and in granting a licence the Company may require modifications in the plans, sections and particulars submitted to it by the applicant.
(4) If the Company decides to grant a dredging licence it shall give notice of its decision to the applicant and to any person who has made a competent objection and has not withdrawn it.
(5) If within 3 months from the date of making an application under paragraph (2) above the Company does not notify the applicant of its decision whether to grant a dredging licence it shall be deemed to have refused the application.
(6) Unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the licensee any materials (other than wreck within the meaning of Part IX of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995) taken up or collected by means of dredging in pursuance of a dredging licence shall, in so far as they are not the property of the Company before being taken up or collected become the property of the Company and the provisions of paragraph (2) of article 7 above shall apply to such materials which are or become the property of the Company.
(7) The Company may charge a reasonable fee for the grant of a licence under this section.
(8) The grant of a licence under this section has effect for the purposes of article 8 above and confers no other authority for the carrying out of the operations covered by the licence.
(9) In the execution of any works to which a dredging licence relates the holder of the licence shall not damage or injuriously affect any electrical plant or electric line (as respectively defined in section 64 of the Electricity Act 1989(1) belonging to or used or maintained by Scottish Hydro Electric plc or, without the consent of that company, interfere with or adversely affect the operation of any such line or work.