Section 47 – Compulsory acquisition of land
118.This section, based on section 99 of the 1994 Act, deals with Scottish Water’s power to acquire land compulsorily.
119.Subsection (1) permits the Scottish Ministers to authorise the compulsory acquisition of land (other than water rights) in Scotland by Scottish Water for use in the exercise of its core functions or to allow others to provide public water or sewerage systems.
120.Subsection (2) provides that the exercise by Scottish Water of the powers at subsection (1) is without prejudice to section 17 of the Water (Scotland) Act 1980, which deals with the acquisition of water rights, and subject to section 18 of that Act, which deals with the authorisation of the compulsory acquisition of land necessary for the purposes of an order under section 17.
121.Subsection (3) applies the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 to compulsory purchases by Scottish Water as it applies to other statutory undertakers.
122.Subsection (4) gives the Scottish Ministers the power to authorise Scottish Water to acquire land compulsorily, or acquire it by agreement, for the purposes of exchanging it for such land as is mentioned in section 1(2)(b) of the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 (i.e. land forming part of a common or open space or held inalienably by the National Trust for Scotland).