HL Deb 24 April 1975 vol 359 cc1034-9

REHABILITATION ORDERS

Application and effect of rehabilitation orders

4 . —(1) This Part of this Schedule applies to any house which—

  1. (a) is included in a clearance area under Part III of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966, or
  2. (b) is included in a housing treatment area under Part I of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1969, where the resolution for the area provides for the demolition of the house,
being a house which—
  1. (i) has been purchased by agreement or compulsorily at any time before 2nd December 1974 under section 38 of the said Act of 1966 or section 7 of the said Act of 1969 (provisions regarding acquisition of land in such areas), or
  2. (ii) is subject to a compulsory purchase order which was made under the said section 38 or under the said section 7 (but not confirmed) before 2nd December 1974 and which, before 2nd March 1975, has been confirmed in accordance with Schedule 3 to the said Act of 1966 or (as the case may be) in accordance with Schedule 1 to the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 as applied by the said section 7, or
  3. (iii) has been included in the area by virtue of section 41 of the said Act of 1966 or section 9 of the said Act of 1969 (land already belonging to the local authority).

(2) Where any house to which this Part of this Schedule applies in terms of sub-paragraph (1) above does not comply with the full standard as defined in paragraph 13 below and, in the opinion of the local authority, it is capable of being and ought to be improved to that standard, the authority may make and submit to the Secretary of State an order (in this Part of this Schedule referred to as a "rehabilitation order") in relation to the house.

(3) In addition to applying to any house to which this Part of this Schedule applies in terms of sub-paragraph (1) above, a rehabilitation order may, if the local authority think fit, be made to apply to any other relevant land, as defined in paragraph 13 below.

(4) On the date on which a rehabilitation order becomes operative, the local authority shall cease to be subject to any duty, to demolish or secure the demolition of buildings on any land included in the order, imposed by Part III of the said Act of 1966 or Part I of the said Act of 1969.

(5) Where by virtue of sub-paragraph (4) above a local authority arc freed from the duty to demolish or secure the demolition of a house which does not comply with the full standard, the authority shall take such steps as are necessary—

  1. (a) to bring the house up to the full standard, or
  2. (b) where it is not vested in the authority, to ensure that it is brought up to that standard.

(6) A local authority may accept under-takings for the purpose of sub-paragraph (5)(b) above from the owner of a house, or any other person who has or will have an interest in a house, concerning works to be carried out to bring it up to the full standard and the time within which they are to be carried out.

Miscellaneous provisions relative to rehabilitation orders

5. Where the owner of a house to which this Part of this Schedule applies in terms of paragraph 4(1) above, and which does not comply with the full standard, requests the local authority to make a rehabilitation order in respect of the house, and the authority refuse to make the order, they shall give him in writing their reasons for so refusing.

6. Where a local authority have made a rehabilitation order they shall not, until after the date on which the order becomes operative or on which confirmation of the order is refused,

  1. (a) serve notice to treat, under section 17 of the Lands Clauses Consolidation (Scotland) Act 1845, in respect of any land included in a compulsory purchase order made and confirmed by virtue of section 38 of the said Act of 1966 or section 7 of the said Act of 1969 which includes notice land as defined in paragraph 13 below; or
  2. (b) demolish, without the consent of the Secretary of State, any building on notice land.

7.—(1) Where—

  1. (a)land included in a compulsory purchase order, made and confirmed by virtue of the 1036 said section 38 or the said section 7, is comprised in a rehabilitation order, and
  2. (b)the rehabilitation order becomes operative in respect of that land, and
  3. (c)no interest in the land has vested in the local authority before the date on which the rehabilitation order becomes operative, and
  4. (d)neither the local authority nor a previous local authority entitled to serve a notice to treat in respect of any interest in the land under section 17 of the said Act of 1845 have done so before that date,
the compulsory purchase order shall cease to have effect in relation to that land on that date, and if the land is included in a clearance area or housing treatment area, it shall cease to be so included.

(2) On and after the date on which a rehabilitation order becomes operative, in a case where sub-paragraph (1) above does not apply in relation to an area of land comprised in that order, any compulsory purchase order relating to that land and confirmed by virtue of the said section 38 or the said section 7 shall have effect in relation to any interest in that land which at the said date was not vested in the authority—

  1. (a)in so far as it relates to a house, as if it had been made and confirmed under Part VII of the said Act of 1966, and
  2. (b)in so far as it relates to land other than a house, as if it had been made and confirmed under Part VI of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1972.

(3) Where a rehabilitation order becomes operative in respect of an area of land and any interest in that land is vested in the local authority at the date when the order becomes operative—

  1. (a) any such interest in a house shall be treated as appropriated to the purposes of Part VII of the said Act of 1966, and
  2. (b) any such interest in land other than a house shall be treated as appropriated to the purposes of Part VI of the said Act of 1972.

8. A rehabilitation order may be made and confirmed notwithstanding that the effect of the order in excluding any land from a clearance area or from a housing treatment area is to sever that area into two or more parts; and in any such case the provisions applicable to the area in Part III of the said Act of 1966 or in Part I of the said Act of 1969, relating to the effect of a compulsory purchase order when confirmed and to the proceedings to be taken after confirmation of such an order, shall apply as if those parts formed one clearance area or housing treatment area, as the case may be.

Procedure for making and confirming rehabilitation orders

9. A rehabilitation order shall be made in the prescribed form and shall describe, by reference to a map—

  1. (a) the houses to which, in terms of paragraph 4(1) above, it applies, and
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  2. (b) the other land to which, in terms of paragraph 4(3) above, it applies.

10.—(1) Before submitting a rehabilitation order to the Secretary of State for confirmation, the local authority, except in so far as the Secretary of State directs otherwise—

  1. (a) shall publish in one or more news-papers circulating within their district a notice in the prescribed form stating that such an order has been made and describing the land to which it applies, and naming a place where a copy of the order and its accompanying map may be seen at all reasonable hours, and
  2. (b) shall serve on any such person as is specified in subparagraph (2) below a notice in the prescribed form stating—
    1. (i) the effect of the rehabilitation order,
    2. (ii) that it is about to be submitted to the Secretary of State for confirmation, and
    3. (iii) the time within which and the manner in which objections to the order can be made.

(2) The persons mentioned in sub-paragraph (l)(b) above are—

  1. (a) every person on whom notice was served of the making by virtue of section 38 of the said Act of 1966 or section 7 of the said Act of 1969 of any compulsory purchase order which, at the date of its confirmation, included any land subsequently comprised in the rehabilitation order;
  2. (b) every successor in title of such a person;
  3. (c) every owner, lessee and occupier of the relevant land other than a tenant for a month or a period less than a month;
  4. (d) creditors in heritable securities over relevant land, so far as it is reasonably practicable to ascertain such persons; and
  5. (e) every person on whom notice would have been required to be served under head (c) or (d) above whose interest has been acquired under the said section 38 since the clearance area was declared to be such an area or (as the case may be) under the said section 7 since the housing treatment area was declared to be such an area.

(4) A notice under this paragraph shall be accompanied by a statement of the grounds on which the local authority are seeking confirmation of the rehabilitation order.

(5) A notice under this paragraph shall be served in accordance with section 5(3) of and paragraph 19 of Schedule 1 to the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947.

11. —(1) If no objection is duly made by any of the persons on whom notices are to be served under paragraph 10 above, or if all objections so made are withdrawn, the Secretary of State may confirm the order with or without modifications.

(2) If any objection duly made is not with-drawn, the Secretary of State, before confirming the order, shall cause a public local inquiry to be held or afford to any person by whom an objection has been duly made and not withdrawn an opportunity of appearing before and being heard by a person appointed by the Secretary of State for the purpose.

(3) After considering any objection not withdrawn and the report of the person who held the inquiry or of the person appointed under sub-paragraph (2) above, the Secretary of State may confirm the order with or without modifications.

(4) The Secretary of State may require any person who has made an objection to state the grounds of the objection in writing, and may disregard the objection if he is satisfied that it relates exclusively to matters which can be dealt with by the tribunal by whom any compensation is to be assessed.

(5) The Secretary of State's power to modify a rehabilitation order includes power, subject to sub-paragraph (6) below, to extend it to any notice land.

(6) The Secretary of State shall not extend the application of a rehabilitation order to any land unless he has served on the following persons, namely—

  1. (a) the local authority who made the rehabilitation order,
  2. (b) every owner, lessee and occupier of that land, except a tenant for a month or a period less than a month, and
  3. (c) so far as it is reasonably practicable to ascertain such persons, on the creditor in every heritable security over any such land,
a notice stating the effect of his proposals, and has afforded them an opportunity to make their views known.

12. Paragraphs 6, 15 and 16 of Schedule 1 to the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 (notification, challenge of validity and date of operation of orders) shall apply in relation to rehabilitation orders as if—

  1. (a) any reference to a compulsory purchase order were a reference to a rehabilitation order and any reference to compulsory purchase were a reference to rehabilitation under this Part of this Act;
  2. (b) any reference to the acquiring authority were a reference to the local authority;
  3. (c) the reference in the said paragraph 6 to paragraph 3 of that Schedule were a reference to paragraph 10 of this Schedule;
  4. (d) the reference in the said paragraph 15 to any such enactment as is mentioned in section 1(1) of that Act were a reference to this part of this Schedule;
  5. (e) the references in the said paragraph 15 to any requirement of that Act and to any requirement of that Schedule thereof were references to any requirement of this part of this Schedule and of any provision of that Act (or that Schedule, as the case may be) applicable to the rehabilitation order;
  6. (f) the references in the said paragraphs 15 and 16 to a certificate under Part III of that Schedule were deleted.

Interpretation of this Part of this Schedule

13.—(1) In this Part of this Schedule, unless the context otherwise requires— clearance area" means a clearance area under Part III of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966; full standard", in relation to a house, means the standard of a house which—

  1. (a)meets the tolerable standard;
  2. (b)is in a good state of repair (disregarding the state of internal decorative repair) having regard to the age, character and locality of the house; and
  3. (c)is provided with all of the standard amenities;
house" has the same meaning as in the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966; Housing treatment area" means a housing treatment area under Part I of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1969; local authority" has the meaning assigned to it by section 1 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966; notice land" means land in relation to which a notice is to be served under paragraph 10 above; relevant land" means—
  1. (a) land in the clearance area or housing treatment area (as the case may be), including land which has been included in that area by virtue of section 41 of the said Act of 1966 or section 9 of the said Act of 1969 (land already belonging to the local authority); or
  2. (b) land surrounded by or adjoining that area, which the local authority or a previous local authority entitled to purchase the land under section 37 of the said Act of 1966 or under section 6 of the said Act of 1969 have determined to purchase (whether or not it has been so purchased);
 standard amenities" and "tolerable standard" have the same meanings as in the Housing (Scotland) Act 1974.

(2) The references to the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966 in section 197 of that Act (power to prescribe forms, etc.) shall include references to this Part of this Schedule.

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