Article 20 Compulsory acquisition of rights

Subject to paragraph (2) and (3), the undertaker may acquire compulsorily such rights over, or impose such restrictive covenants affecting the Order land as may be required for any purpose for which that land may be acquired under article 18 (compulsory acquisition of land), by creating them as well as by acquiring rights already in existence.

Subject to the provisions of this article, article 21 (private rights) and article 28 (statutory undertakers), in the case of the Order land specified in column (1) of Schedule 7 (land in which only new rights etc. may be acquired), the undertaker’s powers of compulsory acquisition are limited to the acquisition of existing rights over land and the creation and acquisition of such new rights and the imposition of restrictive covenants for the purpose specified in relation to that land in column (2) of that Schedule.

Subject to section 8 (other provisions as to divided land) and Schedule 2A (counter-notice requiring purchase of land not in notice to treat) to the 1965 Act^f1, as substituted by paragraph 9 of Schedule 8 (modification of compensation and compulsory purchase enactments for creation of new rights and imposition of new restrictions), where the undertaker creates a right or acquires an existing right over land or imposes a restrictive covenant under paragraph (1), the undertaker is not required to acquire a greater interest in that land.

Schedule 8 (modification of compensation and compulsory purchase enactments for creation of new rights and imposition of new restrictions) has effect for the purpose of modifying the enactments relating to compensation and the provisions of the 1965 Act in their application in relation to the compulsory acquisition under this article of a right over land by the creation of a new right or the imposition of restrictive covenants.

In any case where the acquisition of existing rights or new rights or the imposition of restrictive covenants under paragraph (1) is required for the purpose of diverting, replacing or protecting apparatus of a statutory undertaker, the undertaker may, with the consent of the Secretary of State, transfer the power to acquire such rights or impose such restrictive covenants to the statutory undertaker in question.

The exercise by a statutory undertaker of any power in accordance with a transfer under paragraph (5) is subject to the same restrictions, liabilities and obligations as would apply under this Order if that power were exercised by the undertaker.

Subject to the modifications set out in Schedule 8 the enactments for the time being in force with respect to compensation for the compulsory purchase of land are to apply in the case of a compulsory acquisition under this Order in respect of a right by the creation of a new right or imposition of a restriction as they apply to the compulsory purchase of land and interests in land.

So much of the special category land as is required for the purposes of exercising the powers acquired by the undertaker pursuant to this article is discharged from all rights, trusts and incidents to which it was previously subject, so far as their continuance would be inconsistent with the exercise of those rights.