POWER OF LANDOWNER AFFECTED BY RIGHTS ACQUISITION TO COMPEL ACQUISITION OF TITLE (Hansard, 10 March 1971)

§ Mr. Graham Page

I beg to move Amendment No. 63, in page 45, line 3, after 'treat', insert: 'or such longer period as may be agreed in writing by the highway authority'. This Amendment fulfils an undertaking which I gave to the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Park (Mr. Mulley) in Committee. I said that I would put down an Amendment on Report to allow a highway authority which served notice to treat in respect of the acquisition of a right over land to extend at its own discretion the six-week period during which the landowner can serve a counter-notice requiring the authority to take title to the land. The Amendment introduces flexibility into the Clause. Instead of the period for the counter-notice being fixed at six weeks, the highway authority can allow the landowner a longer period to make up his mind whether he wants the land to be acquired—in which case he will serve a counter-notice—or whether he is content to have the right only acquired. The extension of the period will not have any delaying effect on road construction, since it is merely concerned with acquiring rights or title.