HL Deb 07 July 1947 vol 150 cc98-9

MODIFICATIONS OF ACQUISITION OF LAND (ASSESSMENT OF COMPENSATION) ACT, 1919.

9.—(1) As respects any house in the area of a local authority for the purposes of the Provisions of Part III of the Housing Act, 1936, relating to clearance areas which in their opinion is unfit for human habitation and not capable at reasonable expense of being rendered so fit, and which is comprised—

  1. (a) in land designated by a development plan under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, as subject to compulsory acquisition; or
  2. (b) in land which is proposed to be acquired compulsorily under subsection (2) of Section thirty-six or subsection (2) of Section thirty-seven of that Act;
the local authority for the purposes of the said provisions of the said Part III may make and submit to the Minister of Health an order in such form as may be prescribed by regulations made by the said Minister under Section one hundred and seventy-six of the Housing Act, 1936, declaring the house to be in that state, and, if the order is confirmed by him, the compensation to be paid for the house on a compulsory purchase thereof pursuant to any authorisation given under Part IV of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, by the Minister having jurisdiction to give such authorisation, either before or within two years after the confirmation by the Minister of Health of the order submitted under this paragraph, shall be assessed in like manner as if it had been land purchased compulsorily under the said Part III of the Housing Act, 1936, as being comprised in a clearance area, and the Acquisition of Land (Assessment of Compensation) Act, 1919 shall accordingly have effect, in its application for the purposes of Part IV of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, subject to this provision.

(2) Before submitting an order under this paragraph to the Minister of Health, the local authority shall serve on every owner, and, so far as it is reasonably practicable to ascertain such persons, on every mortgagee, of the house or of any part thereof, a notice in such form as may be prescribed as mentioned in the preceding sub-paragraph, stating the effect of the order and that it is about to be submitted to the said Minister for confirmation, and specifying the time within which, and the manner in which, objection thereto can be made.

(3) If no objection is duly made by any of the persons on whom notices are required to be served, or if all objections so made are withdrawn, the said Minister may, if he thinks fit, confirm the order, but in any other case he shall before confirming the order consider any objection not withdrawn and shall, if either the person by whom the objection was made or the local authority so desire, afford that person and the authority an opportunity of appearing before and being heard by a person appointed by the said Minister for the purpose, and may then, if he thinks fit, confirm the order.

(4) Where the provisions of sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph have effect as to the compensation to be paid for a house on a compulsory purchase thereof under Part IV of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947, the provisions of Section forty-two of the Housing Act, 1936 (which relate to payments in respect of well-maintained houses) shall have effect, as they have effect where a house is made the subject of a compulsory purchase order under the said Part III of the Housing Act, 1936, as being unfit for human habitation, if the Minister of Health is satisfied as mentioned in that section on a representation made to him by a person who would be entitled to any payment under that section or to a share thereof within three months from his first becoming aware that a notice to treat for the purchase of any interest in the house has been served:

Provided that, in the application of that section for the purposes of this sub-paragraph, there shall be substituted, for references therein to the local authority therein mentioned and to the order therein mentioned, references respectively to the purchasing authority and to the order by which the purchase of the house is authorised.

(5) In this paragraph the expression "house" has the same meaning as in the Housing Act, 1936, and in determining for the purposes of this paragraph whether a house is fit for human habitation regard shall be had to the matters to which regard is required by that Act to be had in determining that question for the purposes of that Act, and Sections one hundred and fifty-seven and one hundred and fifty-eight of that Act (which relate to the surveying and examination of land) shall have effect as if the powers conferred by this paragraph were powers under that Act.