Section 318 Ecclesiastical property.

Without prejudice to the provisions of the M1Acquisition of Land Act 1981 with respect to notices served under that Act, where under any of the provisions of this Act a notice or copy of a notice is required to be served on an owner of land, and the land is ecclesiastical property, a similar notice or copy of a notice shall be served on the F1Diocesan Board of Finance for the diocese in which the land is situated.

F2Where any ecclesiastical property is vested in the incumbent of a benefice which is vacant—

Any compensation payable under Part IV, section 186, Part VIII (except section 204) or section 250 in respect of land which is ecclesiastical property F5shall be paid to the Diocesan Board of Finance for the diocese in which the land is situated, and shall F6. . . be applied by F7it for the purposes for which the proceeds of a sale by agreement of the land would be applicable under any enactment or Measure authorising or disposing of the proceeds of such a sale.

Any sum which under any of the provisions specified in Part III of Schedule 16 is payable in relation to land which is, or on 1st July 1948 was, ecclesiastical property, and apart from this subsection would be payable to an incumbent—

Where any sum is recoverable under section 111, F10or 112 in respect of any such land, the F11Diocesan Board of Finance for the diocese in which the land is situated may apply any money or securities held by it in the payment of that sum.

In this section “ecclesiastical property” means land belonging to an ecclesiastical benefice F12of the Church of England, or being or forming part of a church subject to the jurisdiction of a bishop of any diocese F13of the Church of England or the site of such a church, or being or forming part of a burial ground subject to such jurisdiction F14. . . .