WATFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL

IMPORTANT: THIS COMMUNICATION AFFECTS INTERESTS IN
PROPERTY
THE WATFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL (THE GATEWAY SITE, WATFORD
BUSINESS PARK) COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDER 2019
THE TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 SECTION 226(1)(A)
AND 226(5) AND THE ACQUISITION OF LAND ACT 1981
COMPULSORY PURCHASE OF LAND AT THE GATEWAY SITE, WATFORD
BUSINESS PARK, WATFORD
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government in exercise of his powers under the
above Acts (having appointed an Inspector under Section 14D of the
Acquisition of Land Act 1981), on 11 March 2020 confirmed the Watford
Borough Council (The Gateway Site, Watford Business Park) Compulsory
Purchase Order 2019 made by Watford Borough Council.
2. The order as confirmed provides for the purchase, for the purpose
of facilitating the development of the land as a multi-unit scheme of modern
industrial space with ancillary first floor office space and associated parking
and servicing, of the land described below in Schedule 1, part of which is
purchased on behalf of Three Rivers District Council.
3. A copy of the order as confirmed by the Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government and of the map referred to therein
have been deposited at Watford Town Hall, Hempstead Road, Watford,
WD17 3EX and may be seen upon request, by contacting the Customer
Service Centre on 01923 226400 to arrange an appointment.
The documents have also been published online and can be found
at www.watford.gov.uk
4. The order as confirmed becomes operative on the date on which this
notice is first published. A person aggrieved by the order may, by application
to the High Court within 6 weeks from that date, challenge its validity under
section 23 of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981. The grounds for challenge
can be that the authorisation granted by the order is not empowered to
be granted or that there has been a failure to comply with any relevant
statutory requirement relating to the order.
5. Once the order has become operative, Watford Borough Council may
acquire any of the land described in Schedule 1 below by executing a
general vesting declaration under section 4 of the Compulsory Purchase
(Vesting Declarations) Act 1981. A statement on the effect of Parts 2 and
3 of that Act is set out in Schedule 2 below.
6. Every person who, if a general vesting declaration were executed under
section 4 of that Act in respect of the land comprised in the order (other
than land in respect of which notice to treat has been given), would be
entitled to claim compensation in respect of any such land, is invited to give
information to Watford Borough Council at Town Hall, Hempstead Road,
Watford WD17 3EX about the person’s name, address and interest in land,
using a prescribed form. The relevant prescribed form is set out in Schedule
3 below.
SCHEDULE 1
LAND COMPRISED IN THE ORDER AS CONFIRMED
The acquisition of land at Watford Business Park to include all interests
(except those owned by Watford Borough Council) in:
1. 110 square metres of land being electricity substation, west of Greenhill
Crescent and south of Hatters Lane, Watford.
2. 2055 square metres of land being commercial premises (Acorn House,
2 Greenhill Crescent, Watford) and hardstanding, west of Greenhill Crescent
and south of Hatters Lane, Watford.
3. 1481 square metres of land being commercial premises (1 Faraday
Close, Watford), north of Faraday Close and south of Hatters Lane, Watford.
4. 1742 square metres of land being commercial premises (2 Faraday
Close, Watford), west of Faraday Close and south of Hatters Lane, Watford.
5. 209 square metres of land being trees, shrubbery and hardstanding,
west of Faraday Close and south of Hatters Lane, Watford.
6. 274 square metres of land being trees and shrubbery, west of Faraday
Close and south of Hatters Lane, Watford.
7. 90 square metres of land being trees, shrubbery and hardstanding
forming part of commercial premises (Chira House, 3 Faraday Close,
Watford), west of Faraday Close and south of Hatters Lane, Watford.
8. 1986 square metres of land being commercial premises and
hardstanding (Chira House, 3 Faraday Close, Watford), west of Faraday
Close and south of Hatters Lane, Watford.
9. 1177 square metres of land being public highway (Faraday Close),
Watford.
10. 1103 square metres of land being commercial premises (4 Greenhill
Crescent), west of Greenhill Crescent and north of Faraday Close, Watford.
11. 1038 square metres of land being commercial premises (6 Greenhill
Crescent, Watford), west of Greenhill Crescent and north of Faraday Close,
Watford.
12. 692 square metres of land being public highway (Faraday Close),
Watford.
13. 2686 square metres of land being car park, hardstanding and postboxes,
west of Greenhill Crescent and south and east of Faraday Close, Watford.
14. 1020 square metres of land being commercial premises (4 Faraday
Close, Watford), west of Faraday Close and south of Hatters Lane, Watford.
15. 51 square metres of land being electricity substation, south of Faraday
Close and west of Greenhill Crescent, Watford.
16. 1603 square metres of land being hardstanding, south of Faraday Close
and west of Greenhill Crescent, Watford.
17. 92 square metres of land being hardstanding, south of Faraday Close
and west of Greenhill Crescent, Watford.
SCHEDULE 2
FORM OF STATEMENT OF EFFECT OF PARTS 2 AND 3 OF THE
COMPULSORY PURCHASE (VESTING DECLARATIONS) ACT 1981
Power to execute a general vesting declaration
1. Once the Watford Borough Council (The Gateway Site, Watford Business
Park) Compulsory Purchase Order 2019 has become operative, Watford
Borough Council may acquire any of the land described in Schedule 1
above by executing a general vesting declaration under section 4 of the
Compulsory Purchase (Vesting Declarations) Act 1981 (“the Act”). This has
the effect, subject to paragraphs 3 and 5 below, of vesting the land in
Watford Borough Council) at the end of the period mentioned in paragraph
2 below.
Notices concerning general vesting declaration
2. As soon as may be after Watford Borough Council execute a general
vesting declaration, they must serve notice of it on every occupier of any
of the land specified in the declaration (except land where there is one of
the tenancies described in paragraph 4) and on every person who gives
them information relating to the land in pursuance of the invitation
contained in the confirmation notice of the order. When the service of
notices of the general vesting declaration is completed, a period specified
in the declaration, of not less than three months, will begin to run. On the
first day after the end of this period the land described in the declaration
will, subject to what is said in paragraphs 3 and 5, vest in Watford Borough
Council together with the right to enter on the land and take possession
of it. Every person on whom Watford Borough Council could have served
a notice to treat in respect of his interest in the land (other than a tenant
under one of the tenancies described in paragraph 4) will be entitled to
claim compensation for the acquisition of his interest in the land, with
interest on the compensation from the vesting date.
3. The “vesting date” for any land specified in a declaration will be the
first day after the end of the period mentioned in paragraph 2 above, unless
a counter-notice is served under Schedule A1 to the Act within that period.
In such circumstances, the vesting date for the land which is the subject
of the counter-notice will be determined in accordance with Schedule A1.
Modifications with respect to certain tenancies
4. In the case of certain tenancies, the position stated above is subject
to modifications. The modifications apply where the tenancy is either a
“minor tenancy”, i.e. a tenancy for a year or a yearly tenancy or a lesser
interest, or “a long tenancy which is about to expire”. The latter expression
means a tenancy granted for an interest greater than a minor tenancy but
having on the vesting date a period still to run which is not more than the
period specified in the declaration for this purpose (which must be more
than a year). In calculating how long a tenancy has still to run, where any
option to renew or to terminate it is available to either party, it shall be
assumed that the landlord will take every opportunity open to him to
terminate the tenancy while the tenant will use every opportunity to retain
or renew his interest.
5. The modifications are that Watford Borough Council may not exercise
the right of entry referred to in paragraph 2 in respect of land subject to
a tenancy described in paragraph 4 unless they first serve notice to treat
in respect of the tenancy and then serve every occupier of the land with
a notice of their intention to enter and take possession after the period
(not less than three months from the service of the notice) specified in the
notice. The right of entry will be exercisable at the end of that period. The
vesting of the land will be subject to the tenancy until the end of that period
or until the tenancy comes to an end, whichever happens first.
SCHEDULE 3
FORM FOR GIVING INFORMATION
Watford Borough Council (The Gateway Site, Watford Business Park)
Compulsory Purchase Order 2019
To: Watford Borough Council
[I] [We] being [a person] [persons] who, if a general vesting declaration were
executed under section 4 of the Compulsory Purchase (Vesting Declarations)
Act 1981 in respect of all the land comprised in the compulsory purchase
order cited above in respect of which notice to treat has not been given,
would be entitled to claim compensation in respect of [all] [part of] that
land, give you the following information, pursuant to the provisions of
section 15 of, or paragraph 6 of Schedule 1, to the Acquisition of Land
Act 1981.
1 Name and address of informant(s) (i) .........................................................

2 Land in which an interest is held by informant(s) (ii)
.........................................................
3 Nature of interest (iii)
.........................................................
Signed
.........................................................
[on behalf of]
.........................................................
Date
.........................................................

i. in the case of a joint interest insert the names and addresses of all the
informants.
ii. The land should be described concisely.
iii. If the interest is leasehold, the date of commencement and length of term should be given. If the land is subject to a mortgage or other incumbrance, details should be given, e.g. name of building society and roll number.
Dated: 15 May 2020
Carol Chen, Group Head of Democracy and Governance, Watford
Borough Council, Town Hall, Hampstead Road, Watford WD17 3EX
WATFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL