Housing and Planning Act 1986

5 E+W+S The following sections shall be substituted for section 14—

“14 Provisions as to agricultural tenancies in England and Wales.

(1) Without prejudice to the provisions of Part III of this Act as to matters arising between landlords and tenants in consequence of compulsory rights orders, the provisions of this section shall have effect where—

(a) opencast planning permission has been granted subject to a restoration condition and to an aftercare condition in which the use specified is use for agriculture or use for forestry, and

(b) immediately before that permission is granted, any of the land comprised therein consists of an agricultural holding or part of an agricultural holding,

whether any of that land is comprised in a compulsory rights order or not.

(2) For the purposes of the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 (in this Act referred to as “the Act of 1986”)—

(a) the holding shall not be taken to have ceased to be an agricultural holding; and

(b) where only part of the holding is comprised in opencast planning permission, that part shall not be taken to have ceased to form part of an agricultural holding,

by reason only that, while occupied or used for the permitted activities, the land is not being used for agriculture within the meaning of that Act.

(3) For the purposes of the Act of 1986, the tenant of the holding shall not be taken to have failed to fulfill his responsibilities to farm in accordance with the rules of good husbandry—

(a) by reason of his having permitted any of the land comprised in the opencast planning permission to be occupied for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities, or by reason of any other thing done or omitted by him for facilitating the use of any of that land for that purpose;

(b) where any of that land is comprised in a compulsory rights order, by reason of the occupation or use of any of that land in the exercise of rights conferred by the order, in so far as that occupation or use was not permitted or facilitated by the tenant as mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

(4) For the purposes of the Act of 1986 nothing done or omitted by the tenant or by the landlord of the holding by way of permitting any of the land in respect of which opencast planning permission has been granted to be occupied for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities, or by way of facilitating the use of any of that land for that purpose, shall be taken to be a breach of any term or condition of the tenancy, either on the part of the tenant or on the part of the landlord.

(5) For the purposes of subsections (1) to (3) of section 27 of the Act of 1986 (Agricultural Land Tribunal’s consent to operation of notice to quit) the condition specified in paragraph (f) of subsection (3) of that section shall not be treated as satisfied if the use for the purpose for which the landlord proposes to terminate the tenancy is the use of the land for carrying on any of the permitted activities.

(6) On a reference to arbitration under section 12 of the Act of 1986 with respect to the rent which should be properly payable for the holding, in respect of any period for which the Board are in occupation of the holding, or of any part thereof, for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities, the arbitrator shall not take into account any increase or diminution in the rental value of the holding in so far as that increase or diminution is attributable to the occupation of the holding, or of that part of the holding, by the Board for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities.

(7) For the purpose of the operation of section 13 of the Act of 1986 (increases of rent for landlord’s improvements) in relation to improvements carried out on the holding, in a case where the improvements have been affected by anything done for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities, the increase (if any) of the rental value of the holding attributable to the carrying out of the improvements shall be assessed as if it had not been done.

(8) This section does not extend to Scotland.

14A Provisions as to agricultural tenancies in Scotland.

(1) Without prejudice to the provisions of Part III of this Act as to matters arising between landlords and tenants in consequence of compulsory rights orders, the provisions of this section shall have effect in Scotland where—

(a) opencast planning permission has been granted subject to a restoration condition and to an aftercare condition in which the use specified is use for agriculture, and

(b) immediately before that permission is granted, any of the land comprised therein consists of an agricultural holding or part of an agricultural holding,

whether any of that land is comprised in a compulsory rights order or not.

(2) In this section—

• “aftercare condition” means a condition requiring that such steps shall be taken as may be necessary to bring land to the standard required for use for agriculture; and

• “restoration condition” has the meaning given to it in section 27A(2) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1972.

(3) For the purposes of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 1949 (in this Act referred to as “the Scottish Act of 1949”)—

(a) the holding shall not be taken to have ceased to be an agricultural holding; and

(b) where only part of the holding is comprised in the opencast planning permission, that part shall not be taken to have ceased to form part of an agricultural holding,

by reason only that, while occupied or used for the permitted activities, the land is not being used for agriculture within the meaning of that Act.

(4) For the purposes of the Scottish Act of 1949, the tenant of the holding shall not be taken to have failed to fulfil his responsibilities to farm in accordance with the rules of good husbandry—

(a) by reason of his having permitted any of the land comprised in the opencast planning permission to be occupied for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities, or by reason of any other thing done or omitted by him for facilitating the use of any of that land for that purpose;

(b) where any of that land is comprised in a compulsory rights order, by reason of the occupation or use of any of that land in the exercise of rights conferred by the order, in so far as that occupation or use was not permitted or facilitated by the tenant as mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

(5) For the purposes of the Scottish Act of 1949 nothing done or omitted by the tenant or by the landlord of the holding by way of permitting any of the land in respect of which opencast planning permission has been granted to be occupied for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities, or by way of facilitating the use of any of that land for that purpose, shall be taken to be a breach of any term or condition of the tenancy, either on the part of the tenant or on the part of the landlord.

(6) For the purposes of section 25(2) of the Scottish Act of 1949, no account is to be taken of permission granted as mentioned in paragraph (c) of that subsection if the permission—

(a) is granted on an application by the National Coal Board; and

(b) relates to the working of coal by opencast operations; and

(c) is granted subject to a restoration condition and an aftercare condition.

(7) For the purposes of section 26 of the Scottish Act of 1949 (in which subsection (1) specifies conditions for the giving of consent under section 25 of that Act to the operation of a notice to quit) the condition specified in paragraph (e) of subsection (1) shall not be treated as satisfied if the use for the purpose of which the landlord proposes to terminate the tenancy is the use of the land for carrying on any of the permitted activities.

(8) On a reference to arbitration under section 7 of the Scottish Act of 1949 with respect to the rent which should be properly payable for the holding, in respect of any period for which the Board are in occupation of the holding, or of any part thereof, for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities, the arbiter shall not take into account any increase or diminution in the rental value of the holding in so far as that increase or diminution is attributable to the occupation of the holding, or of that part of the holding, by the Board for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities.

(9) For the purpose of the operation of section 8 of the Scottish Act of 1949 (which relates to increases of rent for improvements carried out by the landlord) in relation to an improvement carried out on the holding, in a case where the improvement has been affected by anything done for the purpose of carrying on any of the permitted activities, the increase (if any) of the rental value of the holding attributable to the carrying out of the improvement shall be assessed as if the improvement had not been so affected.

(10) The use of land for the working of coal by opencast operations shall not be a use for the purposes of which a landlord shall be entitled to resume the land.”.