Paragraph 20 Acquisition of land
Regardless of any provision in this Order or anything shown on the land plans or contained in the book of reference to the Order, the undertaker may not appropriate or acquire any land interest or appropriate, acquire, extinguish, interfere with or override any easement, other interest or right and/or apparatus of SGN otherwise than by agreement.
As a condition of agreement between the parties in sub-paragraph (1), prior to the carrying out of any part of the authorised works (or in such other timeframe as may be agreed between SGN and the undertaker) that are subject to the requirements of this Part of this Schedule that will cause any conflict with or breach the terms of any easement and/or other legal or land interest of SGN and/or affects the provisions of any enactment or agreement regulating the relations between SGN and the undertaker in respect of any apparatus laid or erected in land belonging to or secured by the undertaker, the undertaker must as SGN reasonably requires enter into such deeds of consent and variations upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed between SGN and the undertaker acting reasonably and which must be no less favourable on the whole to SGN than the pre-agreement position unless otherwise agreed by SGN, and it will be the responsibility of the undertaker to procure and/or secure the consent and entering into of such deeds and variations by all other third parties with an interest in the land at that time who are affected by such authorised works.
The undertaker and SGN agree that where there is any inconsistency or duplication between the provisions set out in this Part of this Schedule relating to the relocation and/or removal of apparatus, including but not limited to the payment of costs and expenses relating to such relocation and/or removal of apparatus and the provisions of any existing easement, rights, agreements and licences granted, used, enjoyed or exercised by SGN and/or other enactments relied upon by SGN as of right or other use in relation to the apparatus, then the provisions in this Part of this Schedule shall prevail.
Any agreement or consent granted by SGN under paragraph 23 or any other paragraph of this Part of this Schedule, shall not be taken to constitute agreement under sub-paragraph (1).
As a condition of an agreement between the parties in sub-paragraph (1) that involves decommissioned apparatus being left in situ the undertaker must unless otherwise agreed accept the surrender of any existing easement and/or other interest of SGN in such decommissioned apparatus and consequently acquire title to such decommissioned apparatus and release SGN from all liabilities in respect of such decommissioned apparatus from the date of such surrender.
Where an undertaker acquires land which is subject to any SGN right or interest (including without limitation, easements and agreements relating to rights or other interests) and the provisions of paragraph 21 do not apply, the undertaker must—
retain any notice of SGN’s easement, right or other interest on the title to the relevant land when registering the undertaker’s title to such acquired land;
(where no such notice of SGN’s easement, right or other interest on the title exists in relation to such acquired land or any such notice is registered only on the Land Charges Register) include (with its application to register title to the undertaker’s interest in such acquired land at the Land Registry) a notice of SGN’s easement, right or other interest in relation to such acquired land and SGN must provide reasonable assistance to the undertaker to assist that registration; and
provide up to date official entry copies to SGN within 20 working days of receipt of such up to date official entry copies.