Section 291 — Housing Act 1985: Method of dealing with land acquired for clearance.

Method of dealing with land acquired for clearance. 291 1 A local housing authority who have purchased land under section 290 shall, so soon as may be, cause every building on the land to be vacated and deal with the land in one or other of the following ways, or partly in one of those ways and partly in the other, that is to say—

a themselves demolish every building on the land within the period mentioned in subsection (2) and thereafter appropriate or dispose of the land, subject to such restrictions and conditions (if any) as they think fit, or b dispose of the land as soon as may be subject to a condition that the buildings on it be demolished forthwith, and subject to such restrictions and other conditions (if any) as they think fit.

2 The period within which the authority is to demolish a building under paragraph (a) of subsection (1) is six weeks from the date on which the building is vacated or such longer period as in the circumstances they consider reasonable.

3 This section has effect subject to— section 301 (retention of premises for temporary housing use), sections 305 and 306 (suspensions of clearance procedure on building becoming listed), and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 The references in subsection (1) to appropriation or disposal under the general powers conferred by section 122 or 123 of the Local Government Act 1972.