{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/welsh-development-agency-act-1975/section-27",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/welsh-development-agency-act-1975/section-27.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1975/70",
  "legislation_title": "Welsh Development Agency Act 1975",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/welsh-development-agency-act-1975",
  "path": "section/27",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "27",
  "heading": "Interpretation.",
  "text": "(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—\n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n“the appropriate Minister” in relation to any statutory undertakers in relation to whom it is defined by section 265 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 or any other Act, has the meaning assigned to it by the Act so defining it;\n“business” includes any industrial, commercial or professional activities (whether or not with a view to profit) and the activities of any government department or any local or other public authority;\n“common” includes any land subject to be enclosed under the Inclosure Acts 1845 to 1882 and any town or village green;\n“corporate joint committee” means a corporate joint committee to which Part 6 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 applies by virtue of regulations under Part 5 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021;\n“dispose” includes dispose by sale or exchange or dispose by lease (whether by grant or assignment) and related expressions shall be construed accordingly;\n“fuel or field garden allotment” means any allotment set out as a fuel allotment, or a field garden allotment, under an Inclosure Act;\n“holding company” means a holding company as defined in section 1159 of the Companies Act 2006 ;\n. . .\n“land” has the meaning given by Schedule 1 to the Interpretation Act 1978;\n“open space” means any land laid out as a public garden or used for the purposes of public recreation or any land which is a disused burial ground;\n“statutory undertakers” means—\n(a) persons authorised by virtue of any enactment to carry on any railway, light railway, tramway, road transport, water transport, canal, inland navigation, dock, harbour, pier or lighthouse undertaking, or any undertaking for the supply of . . . , . . . hydraulic power or water or hydraulic power , and\n(b) the Civil Aviation Authority . . ., a person who holds a licence under Chapter I of Part I of the Transport Act 2000 (to the extent that the person is carrying out activities authorised by the licence) any universal service provider in connection with the provision of a universal postal service and any other authority, body or undertakers which by virtue of any enactment are to be treated as statutory undertakers for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;\nand “statutory undertaking” shall be construed accordingly;\n“subsidiary” means a subsidiary as defined by section 1159 of the Companies Act 2006 ; and\n“universal service provider” has the same meaning as in Part 3 of the Postal Services Act 2011; and references to the provision of a universal postal service shall be construed in accordance with that Part;\n“wholly owned subsidiary” has the meaning assigned to it by section 1159 of the Companies Act 2006 .\n(1A) The undertaking of a universal service provider so far as relating to the provision of a universal postal service shall be taken to be his statutory undertaking for the purposes of this Act; and references in this Act to his undertaking shall be construed accordingly.\n(1B) The undertaking of a person who holds a licence under Chapter I of Part I of the Transport Act 2000 shall not be considered to be a statutory undertaking for the purposes of this Act except to the extent that it is the person’s undertaking as licence holder; and references in this Act to the person’s undertaking shall be construed accordingly.\n(1C) A person who holds a licence under Chapter I of Part I of the Transport Act 2000 shall not be considered a statutory undertaker for the purposes of section 21C above.\n(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(3) Except in so far as the context otherwise requires, any reference in this Act to an enactment shall be construed as a reference to that enactment as amended, applied or extended by or under any other enactment, including this Act.",
  "extent": "E+W+S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 18 was amended by Industry Act 1979 (c. 32, SIF 64), s. 1(1)(4)–(6) and has effect by s. 1(7) of the 1979 Act as set out in the Schedule to that Act"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 21A inserted (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 127, Sch. 13 para. 2 (with ss. 139(2), 143(2)); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 27(1) definition of “accounting year” omitted (1.4.2006) by virtue of The Welsh Development Agency (Transfer of Functions to the National Assembly for Wales and Abolition) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/3226), arts. 1(1)(2), 7(1), Sch. 1 para. 27(1) (with art. 3(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words substituted by Planning (Consequential Provisions) Act 1990 (c. 11, SIF 123:1, 2), s. 4, Sch. 2 para. 34(3)(a)."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "S. 27(1): Definition of “business” inserted (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 128, Sch. 14 Pt. I para. 10(2); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "S. 27(1): Definition of “common” inserted (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 128, Sch. 14 Pt. I para. 10(2); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 27(1) inserted (E.W.) (21.1.2021) by Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (asc 1), s. 175(1)(e), Sch. 9 para. 18"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "S. 27(1): Definition of “dispose” inserted (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 128, Sch. 14 Pt. I para. 10(2); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "S. 27(1): Definition of “fuel or field garden allotment” inserted (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 128, Sch. 14 Pt. I para. 10(2); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "S. 27(1): words in definitions of “holding company”, “subsidiary” and “universal service provider” substituted (1.10.2009) by The Companies Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/1941), art. 2(1), Sch. 1 para. 34 (with art. 10)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "S. 27(1): Definition of “industry” and “industrial” repealed (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 152. Sch. 18 Pt. III (with ss. 137(1), 139(2), 143(2)); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F12",
      "text": "S. 27(1): Definition of “land” and “open space” substituted for definition of “land” (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 128, Sch. 14 Pt. I para. 10(3); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F13",
      "text": "Word repealed by Electricity Act 1989 (c. 29, SIF 44:1), s. 112(3)(4), Sch. 17 para. 35(1), Sch. 18."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F14",
      "text": "Word and comma repealed by Gas Act 1986 (c. 44, SIF 44:2), s. 67(4), Sch. 9 Pt. I."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F15",
      "text": "Words “or hydraulic power” substituted (E.W.) for the words “hydraulic power or water” by Water Act 1989 (c. 15, SIF 130), s. 190, Sch. 25 para. 51 (with ss. 58(7), 101(1), 141(6), 160(1)(2)(4), 163, 189(4)–(10), 193(1), Sch. 26 paras. 3(1)(2), 17, 40(4), 57(6), 58)."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F16",
      "text": "S. 27(1): Words in definition of statutory undertakers repealed (31.10.1994) by 1994 c. 21, s. 67, Sch. 9 para. 16, Sch. 11 Pt. II; S.I. 1994/2553, art. 2."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F17",
      "text": "S. 27(1): Words in para. (b) of the definition of “statutory undertakers” inserted (21.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/4050, art. 2, Sch. Pt. II para. 2(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F18",
      "text": "S. 27(1): Words in para. (b) of the definition of “statutory undertakers” substituted (26.3.2001) by S.I. 2001/1149, art. 3(1), Sch. 1 para. 40(2)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F19",
      "text": "Words substituted by Planning (Consequential Provisions) Act 1990 (c.11, SIF 123:1, 2), s. 4, Sch. 2 para. 34(3)(b)."
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F20",
      "text": "Definition of “universal service provider” in s. 27(1) inserted (26.3.2001) by S.I. 2001/1149, art. 3(1), Sch. 1 para. 40(2)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F21",
      "text": "Words in s. 27(1) substituted (1.10.2011) by Postal Services Act 2011 (c. 5), s. 93(2)(3), Sch. 12 para. 101(a); S.I. 2011/2329, art. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F22",
      "text": "Words in s. 27(1) substituted (1.10.2011) by Postal Services Act 2011 (c. 5), s. 93(2)(3), Sch. 12 para. 101(b); S.I. 2011/2329, art. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F23",
      "text": "S. 27(1A) inserted (26.3.2001) by S.I. 2001/1149, art. 3(1), Sch. 1 para. 40(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F24",
      "text": "S. 27(1B)(1C) inserted (21.12.2001) after subsection (1) by S.I. 2001/4050, art. 2, Sch. Pt. II para. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F25",
      "text": "S. 27(2) omitted (1.4.2006) by virtue of The Welsh Development Agency (Transfer of Functions to the National Assembly for Wales and Abolition) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/3226), arts. 1(1)(2), 7(1), Sch. 1 para. 27(2) (with art. 3(1))"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "1978 c. 30."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "words omitted",
      "affecting": "asc/2026/7",
      "affecting_title": "Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Act 2026"
    },
    {
      "type": "words substituted",
      "affecting": "asc/2026/7",
      "affecting_title": "Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Act 2026"
    },
    {
      "type": "words substituted",
      "affecting": "asc/2026/7",
      "affecting_title": "Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Act 2026"
    },
    {
      "type": "words substituted",
      "affecting": "asc/2026/7",
      "affecting_title": "Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Act 2026"
    },
    {
      "type": "omitted",
      "affecting": "asc/2026/7",
      "affecting_title": "Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Act 2026"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1975/70/section/27",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:35:58.185836+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."
}