Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1931

Power of local authority to acquire and repair certain houses.

28.—(1) Where any person has appealed against a notice under this Part of this Act requiring the execution of works to a dwelling-house, and the Circuit Court in allowing the appeal has found that the house cannot be rendered fit for human habitation at a reasonable expense, the local authority may purchase that house by agreement, or may be authorised to purchase it compulsorily in accordance with the provisions of this section, and, if they purchase the house compulsorily, they shall forthwith execute all such works as were specified in the notice against which the appeal was brought.

(2) A local authority may for the purposes of this section be authorised to purchase a house by a compulsory purchase order made and submitted to the Minister within six months after the determination of the appeal and confirmed by him in accordance with the provisions of the Second Schedule to this Act; but if any person being an owner or mortgagee of the house undertakes to carry out to the satisfaction of the Minister and within such, period as the Minister may fix, the works specified in the notice against which the appeal was brought, the Minister shall not confirm the compulsory purchase order unless that person has failed to fulfil his undertaking.

(3) The compensation to be paid for any house purchased compulsorily under this section shall be the value, at the time when the valuation is made, of the site as a cleared site available for development in accordance with the requirements of the building bye-laws for the time being in force in the district, and subject as aforesaid, shall be assessed in accordance with the Acquisition of Land (Assessment of Compensation) Act, 1919 , as amended by the Acquisition of Land (Reference Committee) Act, 1925 (No. 22 of 1925).