Housing Act 1957

105 Other powers of dealing with land acquired or appropriated for provision of accommodation

(1) Where a local authority have acquired or appropriated any land for the purposes of this Part of this Act, then, without prejudice to any of their other powers under this Act, the local authority may, with the consent of the Minister—

(a) sell or lease the land or part thereof to any person for the purpose and under the condition that that person will erect thereon in accordance with plans approved by the local authority, and maintain, such number of houses of such types as may be specified by the authority and, when necessary, will lay out and construct public streets or roads and open spaces on the land, or will use the land for purposes which, in the opinion of the authority, are necessary or desirable for, or incidental to, the development of the land as a building estate in accordance with plans approved by the authority, including the provision, maintenance and improvement of houses and gardens, factories, workshops, places of worship, places of recreation and other works or buildings,

(b) sell the land or part thereof, or exchange the land or part thereof for land better adapted for those purposes, either with or without paying or receiving any money for equality of exchange.

(2) Where a local authority have acquired any land with a view to the carrying out on the land by a person other than the local authority of works for the purpose of, or connected with, the alteration, enlargement, repair or improvement of an adjoining house, they may, with the consent of the Minister, sell or lease the land to any person for the purpose and under the condition that that person will carry out thereon, in accordance with plans approved by the authority, those works.

(3) Land sold or leased under the provisions of this section, other than land sold or leased with houses, shall be sold or leased at the best price or for the best rent that can reasonably be obtained, having regard to any condition imposed.

(4) Where a local authority acquire a building which may be made suitable as a house, or an estate or interest in such a building, they shall forthwith proceed to secure that the building is so made suitable either by themselves executing any necessary work or by leasing it or selling it to some person subject to conditions for securing that he will so make it suitable.

(5) The provisions of sections one hundred and twenty-eight to one hundred and thirty-two of the Lands Clauses Consolidation Act, 1845 (which relate to the sale of superfluous land), shall not apply with respect to the sale by a local authority, under the powers conferred by this section, of any land acquired by the authority for the purposes of this Part of this Act.

(6) For the purposes of this section " sale " includes sale in consideration of a chief rent, rentcharge or other similar periodical payment, and " sell " has a corresponding meaning.