Gas Act 1965

Search for underground storage sites.

1 (1) Where it appears to the Minister to be expedient that any land should be prospected for the purpose of finding or proving a site for an underground gas storage the Minister may, on the application of a gas authority, give a direction designating that land as land in relation to which the powers conferred by the next following paragraph are to be exercisable, subject to such conditions, if any, as may be specified in the direction.

(2) The applicants shall serve on the owners and occupiers of all the land to which the application relates notice of their application, setting out the terms of the direction applied for and stating that representations with respect to the application may be made to the Minister within twenty-eight days from service of the notice.

(3) The Minister shall take into consideration all representations duly made within the said period of twenty-eight days and may, if he thinks fit, give the direction in the terms applied for, or in more restrictive terms.

(4) The direction shall remain in force for such period, being not more than two years, as may be specified in the direction and if within the period so specified the applicants, or any other gas authority, take proceedings under Schedule 2 to this Act for the making of a storage authorisation order which will include in its storage area any of the land designated in the direction, the direction shall continue in force until the Minister under paragraph 5(1) of the said Schedule refuses to allow the applicants to proceed with their proposals, or under paragraph 10(1) of that Schedule refuses the application, or until the storage authorisation order comes into force.

2 (1) Subject to this paragraph, while a direction under the foregoing paragraph remains in force, and subject to compliance with any conditions specified in the direction, any person authorised in writing by the gas authority may, at any reasonable time, for the purpose of finding or proving a site for an underground gas storage—

(a) enter upon the land designated in the direction, or upon any other land to which entry is required for obtaining access to that land,

(b) survey the land and carry out trial borings in the land, and

(c) remove from the land any specimens, whether solid or fluid, abstracted from boreholes in the land :

Provided that nothing in this sub-paragraph shall be construed as authorising any interference with the exercise of a public right of way, or any contravention of a prohibition or restriction imposed by or under an enactment (whether contained in a public general Act or in any other Act).

(2) A person authorised under this paragraph to enter on any land shall not demand admission as of right to any land which is occupied unless twenty-eight days notice of the intended entry has been given to the occupier and to the owner of the land, and where it is proposed to carry out any of the operations described in paragraphs (b) and (c) of the foregoing sub-paragraph the power to carry out those operations shall not be exercisable unless twenty-eight days notice was given both of the intended entry and of intention to carry out those operations.

(3) If notice of intention to carry out any such operations is given as respects land which is held by statutory undertakers, by a sewerage authority, or by a river authority or other drainage authority, and the body object to the proposed operations on the ground that the carrying out thereof would be seriously detrimental to the carrying on of their undertaking or, in the case of a sewerage authority or a river authority or other drainage authority, to the performance of their functions, the operations shall not be carried out except with the consent of the appropriate Minister.

(4) A person shall not by virtue of this paragraph be entitled to enter or remain on land occupied by statutory water undertakers unless he complies with any reasonable requirements imposed by the undertakers for the purpose of protecting water against pollution ; and any question arising under this sub-paragraph as to what requirements are reasonable shall in case of dispute be determined by the Minister concerned with water resources whose decision shall be final.

(5) Nothing in this paragraph shall authorise entry into any building.

(6) In this paragraph the expression " the appropriate Minister "—

(a) when used in relation to statutory undertakers, has the meaning given by section 221(1) of the [1962 c. 38.] Town and Country Planning Act 1962, or, as the case may be, section 112 of the [1947 c. 53.] Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1947 and

(b) when used in relation to a sewerage authority in England, means the Minister of Housing and Local Government, and when used in relation to a sewerage authority in Scotland or Wales, means the Secretary of State, and

(c) when used in relation to a river authority or other drainage authority—

(i) where the land in question is in England or Wales and is held for purposes relating to land drainage or fisheries, means the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food,

(ii) where the land in question is in Scotland and is held for purposes relating to land drainage or fisheries or to a marine work, means the Secretary of State.

(iii) where the land in question is held for purposes connected with navigation, means the Minister of Transport,

(iv) where the land in question is held for purposes connected with the functions of a river authority in England or Wales (not being functions mentioned in paragraphs (i) and (iii) of this sub-paragraph), the Minister concerned with water resources, and

(v) in any other case, in relation to land in England, means the Minister of Housing and Local Government and, in relation to land in Scotland or Wales, means the Secretary of State.