Housing Act 1969

35 Disposal and appropriation of land

(1) Where any land for the time being vested in a local authority for the purposes of this Part of this Act—

(a) consists of or forms part of an open space; or

(b) has been compulsorily acquired under this Part of this Act;

the local authority shall not dispose of it except with the consent of the Minister.

(2) Where the disposal of any land vested in a local authority for the purposes of this Part of this Act is not subject to the consent of the Minister in pursuance of subsection (1) of this section they shall not, without his consent, sell, exchange or, subject to subsection (4) of this section, let it for a price, consideration or rent less than the best that can reasonably be obtained, having regard to any restrictions or conditions (including conditions as to payment or the giving of security for payment) subject to which the land is sold, exchanged or let.

(3) For the purposes of this section land shall be taken to have been acquired by an authority compulsorily if it was acquired by agreement at a time when they were authorised to acquire it compulsorily.

(4) The consent of the Minister under the preceding provisions of this section may be given either generally to local authorities or to any local authority or class of local authority or in any particular case and may be given either unconditionally or subject to any conditions; and the consent of the Minister under subsection (2) of this section shall not be required to any letting for a term not exceeding seven years.

(5) Where a local authority acquire any land in pursuance of this Part of this Act they shall comply with such general or special directions as may be given by the Minister as to the exercise of their power to appropriate the land for the purposes of Part V of the Act of 1957 (provision of housing accommodation).

(6) The power of a local authority under section 32(1)(a) of this Act to carry out works on land owned by them may, with the approval of the Minister given (with or without limitation) either generally or in a particular case, be exercised notwithstanding that they have not appropriated the land for the purposes of this Part of this Act.

(7) In this section " open space" means any land laid out as a public garden or used for the purposes of public recreation, and any disused burial ground ; and section 29 of the [1959 c. 53.] Town and Country Planning Act 1959 (protection of persons deriving title to land under transactions requiring consent) applies to any transaction requiring consent under this section.