Town and Country Planning Act 1971

280 Rights of entry

(1) Any person duly authorised in writing by the Secretary of State or by a local planning authority may at any reasonable time enter any land for the purpose of surveying it in connection with—

(a) the preparation, approval, adoption, making or amendment of a structure plan or local plan relating to the land under Part II of this Act, including the carrying out of any survey under that Part;

(b) any application under Part III or sections 60 or 63 of this Act, or under any order or regulations made thereunder, for any permission, consent or determination to be given or made in connection with that land or any other land under Part III or either of those sections of this Act or under any such order or regulations;

(c) any proposal by the local planning authority or by the Secretary of State to make or serve any order or notice under Part III (other than section 44), Part IV or Part V of this Act, or under any order or regulations made thereunder or any notice under section 115 of this Act.

(2) Any person duly authorised in writing by the Secretary of State may at any reasonable time enter any land for the purpose of surveying any building thereon in connection with a proposal to include the building in, or exclude it from, a list compiled or approved under section 54 of this Act.

(3) Any person duly authorised in writing by the Secretary of State or a local planning authority may at any reasonable time enter any land for the purpose of ascertaining whether, with respect to any building on the land, an offence has been, or is being, committed under section 55 or 98 of, or Schedule 11 to, this Act, or whether the building is being maintained in a proper state of repair.

(4) Any person duly authorised in writing by the Secretary of State or a local authority may at any reasonable time enter any land for the purpose of ascertaining whether—

(a) an offence appears to have been committed under section 57 of this Act; or

(b) any of the functions conferred by section 101 or 103 of this Act should or may be exercised in connection with the land,

or for the purpose of exercising any of those functions in connection with the land.

(5) Any person, being an officer of the Valuation Office or a person duly authorised in writing by the Secretary of State, may at any reasonable time enter any land for the purpose of surveying it, or estimating its value, in connection with a claim for compensation under Part VII of this Act in respect of that land or any other land.

(6) Any person, being an officer of the Valuation Office or a person duly authorised in writing by a local planning authority, may at any reasonable time enter any land for the purpose of surveying it, or estimating its value, in connection with a claim for compensation in respect of that land or any other land, being compensation payable by the local planning authority under Part VIII of this Act (other than section 175), under section 212(5) of this Act or under Part XI of this Act (other than section 237(2) or 238(1)(c))

(7) Any person, being an officer of the Valuation Office or a person duly authorised in writing by a local authority or Minister authorised to acquire land under section 112 or 113 of this Act, and any person duly authorised in writing by a local authority having power to acquire land under Part VI of this Act, may at any reasonable time enter any land for the purpose of surveying it, or estimating its value, in connection with any proposal to acquire that land or any other land, or in connection with any claim for compensation in respect of any such acquisition.

(8) Any person duly authorised in writing by the Secretary of State or by a local planning authority may at any reasonable time enter any land in respect of which an order or notice has been made or served as mentioned in subsection (1)(c) of this section, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the order or notice has been complied with.

(9) Subject to the provisions of section 281 of this Act, any power conferred by this section to survey land shall be construed as including power to search and bore for the purpose of ascertaining the nature of the subsoil or the presence of minerals therein.