(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 or making of a unitary development plan or a local plan [F1minerals local plan or waste local plan]relating to the land under Part II or the alteration of such a plan or a structure plan relating to the land under that Part, including the carrying out of any survey under that Part;
(b)any application under Part III or sections F2. . ., 220 or 221 or under any order or regulations made under any of those provisions, for any permission, consent or determination to be given or made in connection with that land or any other land under that Part or any of those sections or under any such order or regulations;
(c)any proposal by the local planning authority or by the Secretary of State to make, issue or serve any order or notice under Part III (other than sections 94 and 96), F3. . . [F4or Chapter 2 or 3 of Part VIII] or under any order or regulations made under any of those provisions.
F5(2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(3)Any person duly authorised in writing by the local planning authority may at any reasonable time enter any land for the purpose of exercising a power conferred on the authority by section 225 if—
(a)the land is unoccupied; and
(b)it would be impossible to exercise the power without entering the land.
F6(4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(5)Any person who is an officer of the Valuation Office or is 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 which is payable by the local planning authority under Part IV, section 186, [F7Chapter 2 or 3 of Part VIII], section 250(1) or Part XI (other than section 279(2) or (3) or 280(1)(c)).
(6)Any person who is an officer of the Valuation Office or is duly authorised in writing by a local authority or Minister authorised to acquire land under section 226 or 228 or by a local authority who have power to acquire land under Part IX 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.
(7)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) for the purpose of ascertaining whether the order or notice has been complied with.
(8)Subject to section 325, 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 in it.
(9)In subsections (1)(c) and (7) references to a local planning authority include, in relation to a building situated in Greater London, a reference to the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England.
Textual Amendments
F1Words in s. 324(1)(a) inserted (25.11.1991 for certain purposes and otherwise 10.2.1992) by Planning and Compensation Act 1991 (c. 34, SIF 123:1), ss. 27, 84(2)-(4), Sch. 4 Pt. II para. 33 (with s. 84(5)); S.I. 1991/2728, art. 2; S.I. 1991/2905, art.4
F2Words in s. 324(1)(b) repealed (2.1.1992) by Planning and Compensation Act 1991 (c. 34, SIF 123:1), ss. 23(8)(a), 84(6), Sch. 19 Pt.I (with s. 84(5)); S.I. 1991/2905, art. 3, Sch.2 (subject to art. 4)
F3Words in s. 324(1)(c) repealed (2.1.1992) by Planning and Compensation Act 1991 (c. 34, SIF 123:1), ss. 11(2), 84(6), Sch. 19 Pt.I (with s. 84(5)); S.I. 1991/2905, art.3, (subject to art. 5)
F4Words in s. 324(1)(c) expressed to be inserted (2.1.1992) for "or Part VIII" by Planning and Compensation Act 1991 (c. 34, SIF 123:1), s. 23(8)(b) (with s. 84(5)); S.I. 1991/2905, art. 3 (subject to art. 5)
F5S. 324(2) repealed (2.1.1992) by Planning and Compensation Act 1991 (c. 34, SIF 123:1), ss. 23(8)(c), 84(6), Sch. 19 Pt.I (with s. 84(5)); S.I. 1991/2905, art. 3, Sch.2 (subject to art. 5)
F6S. 324(4) repealed (25.9.1991) by Planning and Compensation Act 1991 (c. 34, SIF 123:1), ss. 31 , 84(6), Sch. 6 para. 34, Sch. 19 Pt. II (with s. 84(5)); S.I. 1991/2067, art. 3 (subject to art. 4)
F7Words in s. 324(5) substituted (2.1.1992) by Planning and Compensation Act 1991 (c. 34, SIF 123:1), s. 23(8)(d), (with s.84(5))
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1S. 324: power to apply conferred (10.11.1993) by 1993 c. 28, s. 171(4)(a); S.I. 1993/2762, art. 3
C2S. 324(1)(a) applied (with modifications) (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 19, s. 66(7), Sch. 17 Pt. II para. 17(2) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 paras. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1995/3198, art. 6(3), Sch. 5
C3S. 324(6) extended (19.9.1995) by 1995 c. 25, ss. 65(7), 125(2), Sch. 8 para. 2(3)(c) (with ss. 7(6), 115, 117, Sch. 8 para. 7)
C4S. 324(8) applied (with modifications) (25.7.2003 and 29.12.2003 in accordance with the commencing S.I.s) by Communications Act 2003 (c. 21), ss. 118, 411, Sch. 4 para. 6(3)(4) (with transitional provisions in Sch. 18); S.I. 2003/1900, arts. 1(2), 2(1), Sch. 1 (with transitional provisions in arts. 3-6); S.I. 2003/3142, arts. 1(2), 3(2) (with art. 11)