# The Steeple Renewables Project Order 2026, Article 2: Interpretation


(1) In this Order except where provided otherwise—
“the 1961 Act” means the Land Compensation Act 1961;
“the 1965 Act” means the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965;
“the 1980 Act” means the Highways Act 1980;
“the 1981 Act” means the Compulsory Purchase (Vesting Declarations) Act 1981;
“the 1984 Act” means the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984;
“the 1989 Act” means the Electricity Act 1989;
“the 1990 Act” means the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;
“the 1991 Act” means the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991;
“the 2003 Act” means the Communications Act 2003;
“the 2008 Act” means the Planning Act 2008;
“arboricultural impact assessment” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the arboricultural impact assessment for the purposes of the Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“address” includes any number or address for the purposes of electronic transmission;
“apparatus” has the same meaning as in Part 3 (street works in England and Wales) of the 1991 Act except that, unless otherwise provided, it further includes pipelines (and parts of them), aerial markers, cathodic protective test posts, field boundary markers, transformer rectifier kiosks, electrical cables, telecommunications equipment and electricity cabinets;
“authorised development” means the development and associated development described in Schedule 1 (authorised development) which is development within the meaning of section 32 of the 2008 Act;
“book of reference” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the book of reference for the purposes of the Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“building” includes any structure or erection or any part of a building, structure or erection;
“commence” means to carry out any material operation (as defined in section 155 of the 2008 Act) forming part of the authorised development other than the site preparation works (except where stated to the contrary), and “commencement” and “commenced” must be construed accordingly;
“commissioning” means the process of testing all systems and components of Work No. 1 in order to ensure that they, and the authorised development as a whole, function in accordance with plant design specifications and the undertaker’s operational and safety requirement;
“construction compound” means a compound including central offices, welfare facilities, accommodation facilities, storage and parking for construction of the authorised development and other associated facilities;
“date of final commissioning” means the date on which the authorised development commences operation by generating electricity on a commercial basis but excluding the generation of electricity during commissioning and testing;
“electronic transmission” means a communication transmitted—
(a) by means of an electronic communications network; or
(b) by other means but while in electronic form;
“environmental statement” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the environmental statement for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“flood risk assessment” means the documents certified by the Secretary of State as Environmental Statement: Appendix 8.1 Flood Risk Assessment Part 1, Environmental Statement: Appendix 8.1 Flood Risk Assessment Part 1 Rev 2 Appendix E update, Environmental Statement: Appendix 8.1 Flood Risk Assessment Part 2, Environmental Statement: Appendix 8.1 Flood Risk Assessment Part 3, and Environmental Statement: Appendix 8.1 Flood Risk Assessment Part 3 Appendix G update only, for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“generating station” has the same meaning as in Part 1 of the 1989 Act (see section 64(1) of that Act);
“highway” and “highway authority” have the same meaning as in the 1980 Act;
“land plans” means the plans certified by the Secretary of State as the land plans for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“lead local flood authority” has the same meaning as in section 6 (other definitions) of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010;
“local planning authority” means the local planning authority (as defined in section 336 of the 1990 Act) for the area to which the provision relates;
“maintain” includes inspect, repair, adjust, alter, remove, refurbish, reconstruct, replace and improve any part of, but not reconstruct or replace the whole of, the authorised development, provided these do not give rise to any materially new or materially different environmental effects compared to those identified in the environmental statement, and “maintenance” and “maintaining” are to be construed accordingly;
“Order land” means the land shown on the land plans which is within the limits of land to be acquired or used and described in the book of reference;
“Order limits” means the limits shown on the works plans within which the authorised development may be carried out and land acquired or used;
“outline CEMP” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the outline construction environmental management plan for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“outline CTMP” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the outline construction traffic management plan for the purposes of the Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“outline decommissioning plan” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the outline decommissioning plan for the purposes of the Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“outline design principles” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the outline design principles for the purposes of the Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“outline FRMP” means the plan certified by the Secretary of State as the outline fire risk management plan for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“outline LEMP” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the outline landscape ecology management plan for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“outline OEMP” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the outline operational environmental management plan for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“outline supply chain, employment and skills plan” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the outline supply chain, employment and skills plan for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“outline SMP” means the document certified by the Secretary of State as the outline soil management plan for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“outline WSI” means the documents certified by the Secretary of State as the outline written scheme of investigation for pre-determination trial trenching and the outline written scheme of investigation for post consent archaeological works for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“owner”, in relation to land, has the same meaning as in section 7 (interpretation) of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981;
“plot” means any plot as may be identified by reference to a number and which is listed in the book of reference and shown on the land plans;
“requirements” means those matters set out in Schedule 2 (requirements) and “requirement” means any one of the requirements;
“site location plan” means the plan certified by the Secretary of State as figure 6.1 site location plan for the purposes of the Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“site preparation works” means all or any of—
(a) environmental surveys, geotechnical surveys, intrusive archaeological surveys and other investigations for the purpose of assessing ground conditions;
(b) demolition of buildings and removal of plant and machinery;
(c) above ground site preparation for temporary facilities for the use of contractors;
(d) remedial work in respect of any contamination or other adverse ground conditions;
(e) diversion and temporary laying of services;
(f) the provision of temporary means of enclosure and site security for construction;
(g) the temporary display of site notices or advertisements; or
(h) site clearance (including vegetation removal, demolition of existing buildings and structures);
“statutory undertaker” means any person falling within section 127(8) (statutory undertakers’ land) of the 2008 Act and includes a public communications provider defined by section 151(1) (interpretation of chapter 1) of the Communications Act 2003;
“street” means a street within the meaning of section 48 of the 1991 Act, together with land on the verge of a street or between two carriageways, and includes any footpath or part of a street;
“street authority” in relation to a street, has the same meaning as in Part 3 of the 1991 Act;
“streets, access and rights of way plan” means the plans described as the access and public rights of way plans certified by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“surface water drainage strategy” means the documents certified by the Secretary of State as Environmental Statement: Appendix 8.2 Surface water drainage strategy, Environmental Statement: Appendix 8.2 Surface Water Drainage Strategy Rev 2 Appendix B update only, Environmental Statement: Appendix 8.2 Surface Water Drainage Strategy Rev 3 Appendix G update only, Environmental Statement: Appendix 8.2 Surface Water Drainage Strategy Rev 3 Appendix H update only, Environmental Statement: 6.3.8, Appendix 8.2 Surface Water Drainage Strategy Rev 3 Appendix L (New), and Environmental Statement: 6.3.8 Appendix 8.2 Surface Water Drainage Strategy Rev 3 Appendix M (New) for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc);
“traffic authority” has the same meaning as in section 121A (traffic authorities) of the 1984 Act;
“tree retention and removal plan” means the plans described as the tree retention and removal plan and the tree protection plan included in the arboricultural impact assessment certified by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc) as part of that arboricultural impact assessment;
“undertaker” means Steeple Solar Farm Limited (company number 13889253) whose registered office is at Beaufort Court, Egg Farm Lane, Station Road, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, WD4 8LR;
“Upper Tribunal” means the Lands Chamber of the Upper Tribunal;
“watercourse” includes all rivers, streams, ditches, drains, canals, cuts, culverts, dykes, sluices, sewers and passages through which water flows except a public sewer or drain;
“work” means a work set out in Schedule 1 (authorised development);
“working day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or English bank or public holiday; and
“works plans” means the plans certified by the Secretary of State as the works plans for the purposes of this Order in accordance with article 36 (certification of plans, etc).
(2) All distances, directions, capacities and lengths referred to in this Order are approximate and distances between lines or points on a numbered work comprised in the authorised development and shown on the works plans and streets, access and rights of way plan are to be taken to be measured along that work.
(3) Any reference in this Order to a work identified by the number of the work is to be construed as a reference to the work of that number authorised by this Order.
(4) In this Order “includes” must be construed without limitation unless the contrary intention appears.
(5) References in this Order to any statutory body include that body’s successor bodies.
(6) References in this Order to rights over land include references to rights to do or restrain or to place and maintain anything in, on or under land or in the airspace above its surface and to any trusts or incidents (including restrictive covenants) to which the land is subject and references in this Order to the imposition of restrictive covenants are references to the creation of rights over land which interfere with the interests or rights of another and are for the benefit of land which is acquired under this Order or over which rights are created and acquired under this Order or is otherwise comprised in this Order.
(7) All areas described in square metres in the book of reference are approximate.
(8) References in this Order to any statute, order, regulation or similar instrument are to be construed as a reference to the statute, order, regulation or instrument as amended by any subsequent statute, order, regulation or instrument or as contained in any subsequent re-enactment.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/1086/article/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/steeple-renewables-project-order-2026/article-2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.