Offshore Petroleum Development (Scotland) Act 1975

20 Short title, interpretation and extent. S

(1) This Act may be cited as the Offshore Petroleum Development (Scotland) Act 1975.

(2) In this Act—

• “Crown land” means land in which there is a Crown interest;

• “Crown interest” means an estate or interest belonging to Her Majesty in right of the Crown or belonging to a government department or held in trust for Her Majesty for the purposes of a government department, and includes any estate or interest held in right of the Prince and Steward of Scotland;

• “designated sea area” has the meaning conferred by section 3(1) of this Act;

• “expedited acquisition order” means an order made under section 1(5) of this Act;

• “harbour authority” has the same meaning as in the M1 Harbours Act 1964;

• [F1 “installation”includes any floating structure or device maintained on a station by whatever means;]

• “land” includes the fore-shore and other land covered with water and (except where the context otherwise requires) any estate or interest in or right over land, and any other heritable estate;

• “local authority” means (before 16th May 1975) a county council or town council and (thereafter) any local authority within the meaning of the M2 Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973;

• “offshore petroleum” means petroleum situated under any part of the sea bed;

• “petroleum” has the same meaning as in [F2 Part I of the Petroleum Act 1998];

• “relevant operations” means operations for any purpose for which land may be acquired under this Act, and operations for or in connection with the offshore construction, assembly and testing of platforms and other installations for use in or under the sea in connection with exploration for or exploitation of offshore petroleum [F3 or the storage of gas in or under the sea bed or the recovery of gas so stored];

• . . . F4

• “the sea” includes any area submerged at mean high water springs, and also includes, so far as the tide flows at mean high water springs, an estuary or an arm of the sea and the waters of any channel, creek, bay or river;

• “the sea bed” includes its subsoil;

• “sea designation order” means an order made under section 3(1) of this Act; and

• “United Kingdom waters” means any part of the sea within the seaward limits of United Kingdom territorial waters.

(3) Except where the context otherwise requires, this Act shall apply in relation to any estate or interest in or right over the sea bed as it applies in relation to land, and the M3 Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 and the compulsory purchase enactments specified in paragraph 1(2) of Schedule 2 to this Act shall apply accordingly.

(4) Except where the context otherwise requires, references in this Act to any enactment are references to that enactment as amended or extended by any other enactment.

(5) This Act (except section 7(6)) shall extend to Scotland only.

Annotations:

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Amendments (Textual)

F1 Definition inserted by Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23, SIF 86), s. 26(2)(a)

F2 S. 20(2): words in definition of “petroleum” substituted (15.2.1999) by 1998 c. 17, s. 50, Sch. 4 para. 6 (with Sch. 3 para. 5(1)); S.I. 1999/161, art. 2(1)

F3 Words inserted by Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c.23, SIF 86), s. 26(2)(b)

F4 Definition repealed by Scottish Development Agency Act 1975 (c. 69), Sch. 5

Marginal Citations

M1 1964 c. 40.

M2 1973 c. 65.

M3 1947 c. 42.