# Defence Act 1842, Section 16: Principal officers may authorize persons to survey and mark out lands, and treat with owners for purchase thereof.

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

(1) It shall be lawful for the principal officers of Her Majesty’s ordnance for the time being to enter on, survey, and mark out, or to cause to be surveyed and marked out, any lands, buildings, or other hereditaments or easements wanted for the service of the ordnance department, or for the defence of the realm, or to stop up or divert any public or private footpaths or bridle-roads or any restricted byways, and to treat and agree with the owner or owners of such lands, buildings, hereditaments, or easements, or with any person or persons interested therein, either for the absolute purchase thereof, or for the possession or use thereof during such time as the exigence of the public service shall require.
(2) In this section and section 17, “restricted byway” has the same meaning as in Part 2 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
(3) A person may not be authorised under subsection (1) to enter and survey or value land in England and Wales in connection with a proposal to acquire an interest in or a right over land (but see section 172 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016).

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/5-6/94/section/16 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/defence-act-1842/section-16
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.