Housing Act 1957

Re-development and re-conditioning by owners

68 Re-development by owners

(1) Any persons proposing to undertake the re-development of land may submit particulars of their proposals to the local authority, who shall consider the proposals and, if they appear to the authority to be satisfactory, shall give to the persons by whom they were submitted notice to that effect, specifying times within which the several parts of the re-development are to be carried out, and if and so long as the re-development is being proceeded with in accordance with the proposals and within the specified time limits, subject to any variation or extension approved by the authority, no action shall be taken in relation to the land under any of the powers conferred by Part II, or the foregoing provisions of this Part, of this Act.

(2) Where the local authority are satisfied that, for the purpose of enabling re-development to be carried out in accordance with proposals which have been submitted as aforesaid and in respect of which the authority have given notice of their satisfaction, it is necessary that any dwelling-house to which the Rent Acts apply should be vacated, and that suitable alternative accommodation within the meaning of Part IV of this Act is available for the tenant or will be available for him at a future date, the authority may issue to the landlord a certificate that such suitable alternative accommodation is available for the tenant or will be available for him by that future date, and a certificate so issued shall, for the purposes of the Rent and Mortgage Interest Restrictions (Amendment) Act, 1933, have the like effect as if it had been such a certificate as mentioned in subsection (2) of section three of that Act with respect to accommodation to be provided forthwith or on that future date, as the case may be.

69 Certificates as to condition of houses

(1) Any owner of a house in respect of which works of improvement (otherwise than by way of decoration or repair) or structural alteration are proposed to be executed, may submit a list of the proposed works to the local authority with a request in writing that the authority shall inform him whether in their opinion the house would, after the execution of those works, or of those works together with any additional works, be fit for human habitation and would, with reasonable care and maintenance, remain so fit for a period of at least five years.

(2) As soon as may be after receipt of such a list and request as aforesaid the local authority shall take the list into consideration and shall inform the owner whether they are of opinion as aforesaid or not, and in a case where they are of that opinion, shall furnish him with a list of the additional works (if any) appearing to them to be required.

(3) Where the local authority have stated that they are of opinion as aforesaid and the work specified in the list submitted to them, together with any additional works specified in a list furnished by them, have been executed to their satisfaction, they shall, on the application of any owner of the house, and upon payment by him of a fee of one shilling, issue to him a certificate that the house is fit for human habitation and will with reasonable care and maintenance remain so fit for a period (being a period of not less than five nor more than ten years) to be specified in the certificate.

(4) During the period specified in a certificate given under this section, no action shall be taken under the provisions of this Part of this Act relating to clearance areas with a view to the demolition of the house as being unfit for human habitation, or under sections sixteen to eighteen of this Act.

(5) In this section the expression " improvement " includes the provision of additional or improved fixtures or fittings.

70 Re-development, &c, by owners: excepted cases

(1) The provisions of the two last foregoing sections shall not have effect in the case of premises comprised in a clearance order confirmed by the Minister or in a compulsory purchase order so confirmed under the provisions of this Part of this Act relating to clearance areas, or in the case of premises comprised in a demolition order made under Part II of this Act which has become operative, or in the case of premises comprised in a re-development plan approved by him.

(2) Where proposals are submitted to a local authority under either of the two last foregoing sections in relation to premises not comprised in a clearance or compulsory purchase order or re-development plan so confirmed or approved as aforesaid but comprised in an area which has been defined as a clearance area or as a proposed re-development area, the authority may, in lieu of proceeding as mentioned in that section, transmit the proposals to the Minister and the Minister shall deal with the proposals in connection with the consideration by him of the clearance order or compulsory purchase order, or of the redevelopment plan, as the case may be, as if the proposals had been objections to the order or plan made on the date on which the proposals were submitted to the authority, and if, in confirming the order or plan, the Minister excludes the premises from the clearance area or the re-development area, the authority shall thereupon proceed in relation to the proposals as mentioned in the said section and the provisions thereof shall have effect accordingly.

71 Local authority for re-development, etc., by owners in London

(1) As respects the administrative county of London other than the City of London the metropolitan borough council shall be the local authority for the purposes of the three last foregoing sections.

(2) Before deciding to treat as satisfactory any proposals submitted to them for such re-development as is mentioned in section sixty-eight of this Act, a metropolitan borough council shall consult the London County Council and shall obtain their approval to the proposals:

Provided that if, within a period of two months from the date on which the metropolitan borough council first inform the London County Council in writing of any such proposals, the latter council fail to give notice to the metropolitan borough council of their approval of, or their refusal to approve the proposals, the London County Council shall be deemed to have given their approval thereto for the purposes of this section.