11Notice to treat

11 Notice to treat

(1)  An acquiring authority must –

(a) take all reasonable steps to ascertain all owners of any land the authority proposes to take and the addresses of those owners; and

(b) cause a notice to treat to be served on every owner so ascertained whose address has also been ascertained.

(2)  A notice to treat is to –

(a) be in a form approved by the Secretary; and

(b) identify the land to be taken; and

(c) contain particulars of the authorized purpose for which that land is being taken; and

(d) contain such other particulars as may be prescribed; and

(e) specify that the acquiring authority is willing to negotiate for the purchase of the land but, if agreement for the purchase of the land is not reached within 30 days after the service of the notice, the authority may take the land compulsorily; and

(f) specify that the owner of the land is entitled to compensation determined in accordance with this Act if the land is taken compulsorily; and

(g) specify that the owner is required by this Act to supply the authority with particulars of –

(i) the owner's estate in the land; and

(ii) all other estates in the land of which the owner has notice; and

(h) specify that the owner is prohibited by this Act from carrying out works on, or doing any other act or thing in, or in relation to, the land that will materially vary the nature or value of the land unless the authority has consented to those works or that act or thing.

(3)  Land is to be identified in a notice to treat by a plan of survey or by any other means that will enable the owner receiving the notice to know the approximate location and extent of the land.

(4)  An owner who has been served with a notice to treat –

(a) must supply the acquiring authority with particulars of the owner's estate in the subject land; and