Stopping-up of private accesses
69.—(1) Where the Department considers that the use of a private means of access from a road to any land is likely to cause danger to, or to interfere unreasonably with, traffic on the road, the Department may make an order providing for—
(a)the stopping-up of the access to the land;
(b)the provision of a new means of access to the land.
(2) No order shall be made under paragraph (1)(a) unless the Department is satisfied that—
(a)access from the road to the land is not reasonably required; or
(b)another reasonably convenient means of access to the land is available or will be provided in pursuance of an order made under paragraph (1)(b).
(3) The Department may agree with the occupiers of any land and any other person having an estate therein that any private means of access to the land from a road shall be stopped-up by it and, where it appears to the parties to be necessary, may provide a new means of access to the land.
(4) The Department may stop-up a means of access in any way that seems to it to be appropriate, but shall not do so in such a way as to obstruct any public right of way on foot.
(5) Schedule 5 shall have effect in relation to an order made under paragraph (1).
(6) Any person, other than a person exercising a public right of way on foot, who uses a means of access which has been stopped-up under this Article shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(7) Article 19 (compensation where rights of access stopped-up or restricted) shall apply where access to any land has been stopped-up under this Article in the same manner at it applies where access to any land has been stopped-up under Article 18(1).