High Speed Rail (West Midlands - Crewe) Act 2021

Procedure and compensation U.K.

4 (1) Not less than 28 days before entering upon and taking possession of land under paragraph 1(1) or (2), the nominated undertaker must give notice to the owners and occupiers of the land of its intention to do so. U.K.

(2) The nominated undertaker may not, without the agreement of the owners of the land, remain in possession of land under paragraph 1(1) or (2) after the end of the period of one year beginning with the date of completion of the work for which temporary possession of the land was taken.

(3) Sub-paragraph (2) does not apply, in the case of land mentioned in paragraph 1(2), if before the end of the one-year period either of the following powers has been exercised in relation to the land—

(a) the power to serve a notice to treat under Part 1 of the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965 (as applied by section 4(3) of this Act to the acquisition of land under section 4(1));

(b) the power to execute a declaration under section 4 of the Compulsory Purchase (Vesting Declarations) Act 1981 (as applied by section 4(4) of this Act to the acquisition of land under section 4(1)).

(4) The nominated undertaker must pay compensation to the owners and occupiers of land of which possession is taken under paragraph 1(1) or (2) for any loss which they may suffer by reason of the exercise in relation to the land of the power or powers under that paragraph.

(5) Any dispute as to a person's entitlement to compensation under sub-paragraph (4), or as to the amount of compensation, must be determined under and in accordance with Part 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1961.

(6) Nothing in this paragraph affects any liability to pay compensation under section 10(2) of the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965 (as applied by section 4(3) to the acquisition of land under section 4(1)) or under any other enactment, otherwise than for loss for which compensation is payable under sub-paragraph (4).

5 (1) Before giving up possession of land of which possession has been taken under paragraph 1(1) or (2), the nominated undertaker must, in accordance with a scheme agreed with the owners of the land and the relevant planning authority, put the land into such condition as the scheme may provide. U.K.

(2) If no scheme has been agreed for the purposes of this paragraph within 6 months of the date of completion mentioned in paragraph 4(2) in relation to the land, the scheme is to be such as may be determined by the appropriate Ministers after consulting the nominated undertaker, the owners of the land and the relevant planning authority.

(3) Unless the owners of the land and the nominated undertaker otherwise agree, a scheme determined under sub-paragraph (2) must provide for land to be restored to its former condition.

(4) Sub-paragraph (3) does not require land on which works referred to in paragraph 1(1)(b) or 3(1)(d) have been constructed to be restored to its former condition.

(5) Unless the nominated undertaker otherwise agrees, a scheme determined under sub-paragraph (2) may not provide for the nominated undertaker to replace a structure removed under paragraph 3, other than a fence.

(6) Where the appropriate Ministers ask the relevant planning authority for assistance in connection with the carrying out by them of their function under sub-paragraph (2), they may require the nominated undertaker to reimburse to the relevant planning authority any expenses which it reasonably incurs in meeting the request.

(7) The duty under sub-paragraph (1) in relation to any land is owed separately to the owners of the land and to the relevant planning authority.

(8) Where a scheme for the purposes of this paragraph provides for any step to be taken by the nominated undertaker before a specified date and that step has not been taken before that date, the relevant planning authority may—

(a) enter the land concerned and take that step, and

(b) require the nominated undertaker to reimburse to it any expenses which it reasonably incurs in acting under paragraph (a).

(9) In this paragraph—

• “appropriate Ministers” means the Secretary of State for [F1 Levelling Up, Housing and Communities] and the Secretary of State for Transport and, in relation to the carrying out of any function, means those Ministers acting jointly;

• “relevant planning authority” means the unitary authority or, in a non-unitary area, the district council in whose area the land is situated.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Sch. 15 para. 5(9) substituted (8.12.2021) by The Transfer of Functions (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) Order 2021 (S.I. 2021/1265), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 27(b) (with art. 12)