The Network Rail (Church Fenton Level Crossing Reduction) Order 2024

PART 4 MISCELLANEOUS AND GENERAL

Defence to proceedings in respect of statutory nuisance

28.—(1) Where proceedings are brought under section 82(1) (summary proceedings by person aggrieved by statutory nuisance) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990(1) in relation to a nuisance falling within section 79(1)(g)(2) (noise emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance) of that Act no order is to be made, and no fine may be imposed, under section 82(2) of that Act if the defendant shows—

(a) that the nuisance relates to premises used by Network Rail for the purposes of or in connection with the exercise of the powers conferred by this Order with respect to the authorised works and that the nuisance is attributable to the carrying out of the authorised works which are being carried out in accordance with a notice served under section 60 (control of noise on construction site), or a consent given under section 61(3) (prior consent for work on construction site) of the Control of Pollution Act 1974(4); or

(b) that the nuisance is a consequence of the construction, operation or maintenance of the authorised works and that it cannot reasonably be avoided.

(2) Section 61(9) (consent for work on construction site to include statement that it does not of itself constitute a defence to proceedings under section 82 of the Environmental Protection act 1990) of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 does not apply where the consent relates to the use of premises by Network Rail for the purposes of or in connection with the exercise of the powers conferred by this Order with respect to works.

(3) In proceedings for an offence under section 80(4) (summary proceedings for statutory nuisance) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in respect of a statutory nuisance falling within section 79(1)(g) or (ga) of that Act where the offence consists in contravening requirements imposed by virtue of section 80(1)(a) or (b) of that Act, it is a defence to show that the nuisance—

(a) is a consequence of the construction, operation or maintenance of the works authorised by this Order; and

(b) cannot reasonably be avoided.

(4) The provisions of this article do not affect the application to the authorised works of section 122 (statutory authority as a defence to actions in nuisance, etc.) of the Railways Act 1993(5) or any rule of common law having similar effect.

Planning Permission

29.  Planning permission which is deemed by a direction under section 90(2A)(6) (development with government authorisation) of the 1990 Act to be granted in relation to the authorised works is to be treated as specific planning permission for the purposes of section 264(3)(a) (cases in which land is to be treated as operational land) of that Act.

Power to lop trees overhanging the authorised works

30.—(1) Network Rail may fell or lop any tree or shrub near any part of the authorised works, or cut back its roots, if it reasonably believes it to be necessary to do so to prevent the tree or shrub—

(a) from obstructing or interfering with the construction, maintenance or operation of the authorised works or any apparatus used on the authorised works; or

(b) from constituting a danger to passengers or other persons using the authorised works.

(2) In exercising the powers conferred by paragraph (1), Network Rail must not cause unnecessary damage to any tree or shrub and must pay compensation to any person for any loss or damage arising from the exercise of those powers.

(3) Any dispute as to a person’s entitlement to compensation under paragraph (2), or as to the amount of compensation, is to be determined as if it were a dispute under Part 1 (determination of questions of disputed compensation) of the 1961 Act.

Obstruction of construction of authorised works

31.  Any person who, without reasonable excuse—

(a) obstructs any person acting under the authority of Network Rail in setting out the lines of the scheduled works or in constructing any authorised work; or

(b) interferes with, moves or removes any apparatus belonging to any person acting under the authority of Network Rail,

is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

Traffic regulation

32.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this article, and the consent of the traffic authority in whose area the street concerned is situated, which consent must not be unreasonably withheld, Network Rail, may, insofar as may be necessary or expedient for the purposes of, in connection with, or in consequence of the construction, maintenance or operation of the authorised works make provision for a vehicular speed limit between points TR1 and TR2 of 40 miles per hour on both sides of the carriageway of Common Lane in the county of North Yorkshire.

(2) Without limitation on the scope of the specific powers conferred by paragraph (1) but subject to the provisions of this article and the consent of the traffic authority in whose area the road concerned is situated, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, Network Rail may, insofar as maybe necessary or expedient for the purposes of, in connection with, or in consequence of the construction, maintenance or operation of the authorised works—

(a) revoke, amend or suspend in whole or in part any traffic regulation order made, or having effect as if made, under the 1984 Act;

(b) permit, prohibit or restrict the parking, stopping, waiting, loading or unloading of vehicles on any road;

(c) suspend or authorise the use as a parking place of any road;

(d) restrict the speed of vehicles along any road;

(e) make provision as to the direction or priority of vehicular traffic on any road; and

(f) permit or prohibit vehicular access to any road,

either at all times or at times, on days or during such periods as may be specified by Network Rail.

(3) If within 28 days of receiving an application for consent under paragraph (1) a traffic authority fails to notify Network Rail of its decision or refuses consent without giving any grounds for its refusal that traffic authority is deemed to have granted consent.

(4) When making an application for consent under paragraph (1), Network Rail must notify the traffic authority of the effect of paragraph (3).

(5) The powers conferred by paragraph (1) may only be exercised after Network Rail has consulted the chief officer of police and the traffic authority in whose area the road concerned is situated before complying with provisions of paragraph (6).

(6) Network Rail must not exercise the powers conferred by paragraph (1) unless it has—

(a) given not less than—

(i) 12 weeks’ notice in writing of its intention so to do in the case of a prohibition, restriction or other provision intended to have effect permanently; or

(ii) 4 weeks’ notice in writing of its intention so to do in the case of a prohibition, restriction or other provision intended to have effect temporarily,

to the chief officer of police and to the traffic authority in whose area the street is situated; and

(b) advertised its intention in such manner as the traffic authority may specify in writing within 28 days of its receipt of notice of Network Rail’s intention in the case of sub-paragraph (a)(i), or within 7 days of its receipt of notice of Network Rail’s intention in the case of sub-paragraph (a)(ii).

(7) Any prohibition, restriction or other provision made by Network Rail under paragraph (1)—

(a) has effect as if duly made by, as the case may be—

(i) the traffic authority in whose area the street is situated, as a traffic regulation order under the 1984 Act or, in the case of provision for vehicle speed limits, as an order under section 84 of that Act (speed limits on roads other than restricted roads); or

(ii) the local authority in whose area the street is situated, as an order under section 32 (power of local authorities to provide parking places) of the1984 Act,

and the instrument by which it is effected may specify savings and exemptions to which the prohibition, restriction or other provision is subject; and

(b) except in the case of provision for vehicle speed limits, is deemed to be a traffic order for the purposes of Schedule 7 (road traffic contraventions subject to civil enforcement) to the Traffic Management Act 2004(7).

(8) Any prohibition, restriction or other provision made under this article may be suspended, varied or revoked by Network Rail from time to time by subsequent exercise of the powers conferred by paragraph (1) within a period of 24 months from the opening of the authorised works for public use.

(9) Expressions used in this article and in the 1984 Act have the same meaning in this article as in that Act.

(10) The powers conferred on Network Rail by this article with respect to any road have effect subject to any agreement entered into by Network Rail with any person with an interest in (or who undertakes activities in relation to) premises served by the road.

Traffic signs

33.—(1) Network Rail may, for the purposes of, or in connection with, the construction or operation of, the authorised works, place or maintain traffic signs on any street within the Order limits or which gives access to such a street, or on any street in connection with any instrument made under article 32 (traffic regulation) or any other street as reasonably required for conveying information to traffic.

(2) Network Rail—

(a) must consult with the traffic authority as to the placing of traffic signs; and

(b) may, subject to any directions given under section 65 (powers and duties of highway authorities as to placing of traffic signs) of the 1984 Act, enter into arrangements with the consent of the traffic authority for the traffic signs to be placed and maintained by the traffic authority, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.

(3) Any power conferred by section 65 of the 1984 Act to give directions to a traffic authority or local traffic authority as to traffic signs includes a power to give directions to Network Rail as to traffic signs under this article; and the powers conferred by paragraph (1) are exercisable subject to and in conformity with any directions given under that section.

(4) A traffic authority or other authority having power under or by virtue of the 1984 Act to place and maintain, or cause to be placed and maintained, traffic signs on any street referred to in paragraph (1) must consult with Network Rail as to the placing of any traffic signs which may affect the authorised works.

(5) Expressions used in this article and in the 1984 Act have the same meaning in this article as in that Act.

Disclosure of confidential information

34.  A person who—

(a) enters a factory, workshop or workplace under the provisions of or article 17 (power to survey and investigate land); and

(b) discloses to any person any information obtained as a result of that entry and relating to any manufacturing process or trade secret,

is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale unless the disclosure is made in the course of that person’s performance of a duty in connection with the purposes for which the person was authorised to enter the land.

Statutory undertakers etc.

35.  Schedule 7 (provisions relating to statutory undertakers etc.) has effect.

Protection of interests

36.  Schedule 11 (protective provisions) has effect.

Certification of plans etc.

37.  Network Rail must, as soon as practicable after the making of this Order, submit copies of the book of reference, the deposited sections and the deposited plan to the Secretary of State for certification that they are, respectively, true copies of the book of reference, the deposited sections and the deposited plan referred to in this Order; and a document so certified is admissible in any proceedings as evidence of the contents of the document of which it is a copy.

Service of notices

38.—(1) A notice or other document required or authorised to be served for the purposes of this Order may be served—

(a) by post; or

(b) with the consent of the recipient and subject to paragraphs (6) to (8) by electronic transmission.

(2) Where the person on whom a notice or other document to be served for the purposes of this Order is a body corporate, the notice or document is duly served if it is served on the secretary or clerk of that body.

(3) For the purposes of section 7 (references to service by post) of the Interpretation Act 1978(8) as it applies for the purposes of this article, the proper address of any person in relation to the service on that person of a notice or document under paragraph (1) is, if that person has given an address for service, that address, and otherwise—

(a) in the case of the secretary or clerk of a body corporate, the registered or principal office of that body; and

(b) in any other case, the last known address of that person at the time of service.

(4) Where for the purposes of this Order a notice or other document is required or authorised to be served on a person as having any interest in, or as the occupier of, land and the name or address of that person cannot be ascertained after reasonable enquiry, the notice may be served by—

(a) addressing it to that person by name or by the description of “owner”, or as the case may be “occupier”, of the land (describing it); and

(b) either leaving it in the hands of a person who is or appears to be resident or employed on the land or leaving it conspicuously affixed to some building or object on or near the land.

(5) Where a notice or other document required to be served or sent for the purposes of this Order is served or sent by electronic transmission the requirement is taken to be fulfilled where the recipient of the notice or other document to be transmitted has given consent to the use of electronic transmission either in writing or by electronic transmission.

(6) Where the recipient of a notice or other document served or sent by electronic transmission notifies the sender within 7 days of receipt that the recipient requires a paper copy of all or any part of that notice or other document the sender must provide such a copy as soon as reasonably practicable.

(7) Any consent to the use of electronic communication given by a person may be revoked by that person in accordance with paragraph (8).

(8) Where a person is no longer willing to accept the use of electronic transmission for any of the purposes of this Order—

(a) that person must give notice in writing or by electronic transmission revoking any consent given by that person for that purpose; and

(b) such revocation is final and takes effect on a date specified by the person in the notice but that date must not be less than 7 days after the date on which the notice is given.

(9) This article does not exclude the employment of any method of service not expressly provided for by it.

(10) In this article—

“address” includes any number or address used for the purposes of electronic transmission; and

“electronic transmission” means a communication transmitted—

(a)

by means of an electronic communications network; or

(b)

by other means but while in electronic form,

and in this definition “electronic communications network” has the same meaning as in section 32(1)(9) (meaning of electronic communications networks and services) of the 2003 Act.

No double recovery

39.  Compensation is not payable in respect of the same matter both under this Order and under any other enactment, any contract or any rule of law.

Arbitration

40.  Any difference under any provision of this Order, unless otherwise provided for, must be referred to and settled by a single arbitrator to be agreed between the parties or, failing agreement, to be appointed on the application of either party (after giving notice in writing to the other) by the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

(1)

1990 c. 43. Section 82 was amended by section 5(2) of the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993 (c. 40) and paragraph 6 of Schedule 17 to the Environment Act 1995 (c. 25).

(2)

1990 c. 3. Section 82 was amended by section 5(2) of the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993 (c.40) and paragraph 6 of Schedule 17 to the environment Act 1995 (c. 25).

(3)

Section 79(1) was amended by section 2(2) of the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993, section 120 of, and paragraph 2(a) of Schedule 17 and paragraph 89(2) of Schedule 22 to, the Environment Act 1995, sections 101(2) and 102(2) of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 (c. 16) and sections 109(2), 110(2), 111(2) and 112(2)(a) of the Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008 (asp 5).

(4)

Section 65 was amended by paragraph 15(4) of Schedule 15 to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Schedule 24 to the Environment Act 1995.

(5)

1974 c. 40.

(6)

Section 90(2A) was inserted by the Transport and Works Act 1992 (c. 42).

(7)

2004 c. 18.

(8)

1978 c. 30.

(9)

Section 32(1) was amended by S.I. 2011/1210.