Section 7 Additional powers of Minister with respect to development plans
Where, by virtue of any of the preceding provisions of this Part of this Act, or of any directions of the Minister thereunder, any development plan, report or proposals for alterations or additions to a development plan are required to be submitted to the Minister, then—
if within the period allowed in that behalf under those provisions or directions no such plan, report or proposals, or no such plan or proposals satisfactory to the Minister, have been so submitted, or
if at any time the Minister is satisfied, after holding a local inquiry, that the local planning authority are not taking the steps necessary to enable them to submit such a plan, report or proposals within that period,
the Minister may, after carrying out any survey which appears to him to be expedient for the purpose, make such development plan, or, as the case may be, amend the development plan to such extent, as he considers expedient.
Where, under the preceding subsection, the Minister has power to make or amend a development plan, he may, if he thinks fit, authorise the local planning authority for any neighbouring area, or any other local planning authority which appears to the Minister to have an interest in the proper planning of the area concerned, to submit such a plan to him for his approval, or, as the case may be, to submit to him proposals for the amendment of the plan, and to carry out any survey of the land which appears to him to be expedient for the purpose.
The Minister may approve any plan submitted to him under the last preceding subsection, either without modification or subject to such modifications as he considers expedient, or, as the case may be, may amend any development plan, with respect to which proposals for amendment have been submitted to him under that subsection, to such extent as he considers expedient having regard to those proposals and to any other material considerations.
The preceding provisions of this Part of this Act shall, so far as applicable, apply to the making, approval or amendment of development plans under this section, and to plans so made, approved or amended, as they apply to the approval or amendment of development plans under those provisions, and to plans approved or amended thereunder.
Where the Minister incurs expenses under this section in connection with the making or amendment of a plan with respect to the area, or any part of the area, of a local planning authority, so much of those expenses as may be certified by the Minister to have been incurred in the performance of functions of that authority shall on demand be repaid by that authority to the Minister.
Where, under this section, a plan, or proposals for the amendment of a plan, are authorised to be submitted to the Minister by the local planning authority for any area other than the area in which the land is situated, any expenses reasonably incurred in that behalf by that authority, as certified by the Minister, shall be repaid to that authority by the local planning authority for the area in which the land is situated.