15.—(1) Railtrack may compulsorily acquire such easements or other rights over any land referred to in article 13 above as may be required for any purpose for which that land may be acquired under that provision, by creating them as well as by acquiring easements or other rights already in existence.
(2) Railtrack may compulsorily acquire a permanent right of access for the purpose of maintaining the authorised works along such route (limited to 5 metres in width) as it may reasonably require over the land shown numbered 18b on the deposited plans.
(3) Railtrack may compulsorily acquire such soil nailing rights in the subsoil of the land shown numbered 2 on the deposited plans as it considers necessary or expedient in connection with the construction of the authorised works.
(4) Subject to section 8 of the 1965 Act (as substituted by paragraph 5 of Schedule 2 to this Order), where Railtrack acquires a right over land under this article it shall not be required to acquire a greater interest in it.
(5) Paragraph (1) above shall be treated as also authorising acquisition of easements or other rights by a statutory utility in any case where the Secretary of State gives his consent in writing.
(6) Paragraph (5) above applies to land within the limits of deviation which is or will be required for use in relocating any apparatus which it is expedient to divert or replace in consequence of the carrying out of the works authorised by this Order; and in that paragraph “statutory utility” means a licence holder within the meaning of Part I of the Electricity Act 1989(1), a public gas transporter within the meaning of Part I of the Gas Act 1986(2), a water undertaker within the meaning of the Water Industry Act 1991(3), a sewerage undertaker within Part I of that Act and any local authority which is a relevant authority for the purposes of section 97 of that Act.
(7) Schedule 2 to this Order shall have effect for the purpose of modifying the enactments relating to compensation and the provisions of the 1965 Act in their application in relation to the compulsory acquisition under this article of a right over land by the creation of a new right.
(8) In this article “soil nailing rights” means rights to insert soil nails into the subsoil or to carry out other subsoil works for the purposes of strengthening and stabilising the railway cutting.
(9) References in this article to the subsoil of land are references to the subsoil lying more than one metre beneath the level of the surface of the land; and for this purpose “the level of the surface of the land” means—
(a)in the case of any land on which a building is erected, the level of the surface of the ground adjoining the building; or
(b)in any other case, ground surface level.