{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/planning-blight-compensation-northern-ireland-order-1981/article-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/planning-blight-compensation-northern-ireland-order-1981/article-4.json",
  "legislation": "nisi/1981/608",
  "legislation_title": "The Planning Blight (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1981",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/planning-blight-compensation-northern-ireland-order-1981",
  "path": "article/4",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Interests qualifying for protection",
  "text": "(1) An interest in land qualifies for protection under this Order if, on the date of service of a blight notice in respect thereof, the interest—\n(a) is that of a resident owner-occupier; or\n(b) is that of an owner-occupier—\n(i) in an agricultural unit or part thereof; or\n(ii) in a hereditament if either of the following sub-paragraphs applies—\n(aa) the net annual value of the land does not exceed £19,685; or\n(bb) the capital value of the hereditament does not exceed £2,100,000.\n(1A) The Department may by Order substitute a different limit for any limit specified in paragraph (1)(aa) or (bb).\n(2) In this Order “resident owner-occupier” in relation to a hereditament means an individual who—\n(a) occupies, in right of an owner's interest, the whole or a substantial part of the hereditament as a private dwelling and has so occupied the hereditament or that part during the whole of the period of six months ending with the date of service of a blight notice; or\n(b) occupied, in right of an owner's interest, the whole or a substantial part of the hereditament as a private dwelling during the whole of a period of six months ending not more than one year before the date of service of a blight notice, the hereditament, or that part thereof, as the case may be, having been unoccupied since the end of that period.\n(3) In this Order “owner-occupier” in relation to an agricultural unit means a person who—\n(a) occupies the whole of that unit, and has occupied it during the whole of the period of six months ending with the date of service of a blight notice; or\n(b) occupied the whole of that unit during the whole of a period of six months ending not more than one year before the date of service of a blight notice,\nand, at all times material for the purposes of sub-paragraph (a) or, as the case may be, sub-paragraph (b), has been entitled to an owner's interest in the whole or part of that unit.\n(4) In this Order “owner-occupier” in relation to a hereditament means a person who—\n(a) occupies, in right of an owner's interest, the whole or a substantial part of the hereditament and has so occupied the hereditament or that part during the whole of the period of six months ending with the date of service of a blight notice; or\n(b) occupied, in right of an owner's interest, the whole or a substantial part of the hereditament during the whole of a period of six months ending not more than one year before the date of service of a blight notice, the hereditament or that part thereof, as the case may be, having been unoccupied since the end of that period.\n(5) In this Article “owner's interest” means a freehold interest (whether legal or equitable) or a legal tenancy granted or extended for a term of years of which, on the date of service, not less than three years remain unexpired.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Art. 4(1)(b)(ii)(1A) substituted (1.4.2007) for art. 4(1)(b)(ii) by Rates (Consequential Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007 (S.R. 2007/192), art. 2(1), Sch. 1 para. 5(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Art. 4(1)(b)(ii)(1A) substituted (1.4.2007) for art. 4(1)(b)(ii) by Rates (Consequential Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007 (S.R. 2007/192), art. 2(1), Sch. 1 para. 5(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "1982 NI 20"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1981/608/article/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T04:52:07.399919+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}