Commentary on Sections Part 2 — Monuments of special historic interest Chapter 5 — Enforcement of controls relating to scheduled monuments Section 31 — Power of Welsh Ministers to issue temporary stop noticeSection 32 — Duration etc. of temporary stop noticeSection 33 — Offence of breaching temporary stop notice
123.Section 31 gives the Welsh Ministers powers to issue a temporary stop notice to put an immediate halt to any or all works to a scheduled monument that they consider to be unauthorised or to breach a condition of a scheduled monument consent. The Welsh Ministers may only do so if they consider that the works ought to be stopped immediately, having regard to the effect of the works on the monument as one of national importance.
124.Subsections (2) to (5) specify the required contents of a temporary stop notice and make provision for service of a notice. Subsections (3) and (4) require the Welsh Ministers to display a copy of the notice on the monument or land, or, where it is not reasonably practicable to display a copy of the notice on the monument or land or doing so could damage the monument, in a prominent location nearby. Subsection (5) then provides that a copy of the notice may be served on the persons identified in that subsection — including a person whom the Welsh Ministers consider is carrying out the works or causing or permitting them to be carried out.
125.While the Welsh Ministers will endeavour to serve individual copies on interested parties under subsection (5), public display of a copy of the temporary stop notice provides a mechanism for alerting all involved in the specified works affecting the scheduled monument that those works must be suspended immediately.
126.Section 66 makes provision for an authorised person to enter land to display a temporary stop notice and for related purposes.
127.Section 32 sets out that a temporary stop notice takes effect when a copy of it is first displayed in accordance with section 31, will remain in effect for 28 days (unless a shorter period is specified) and may be withdrawn by the Welsh Ministers before its expiry.
128.Once a temporary stop notice is in effect, section 33 makes it an offence for a person to undertake works prohibited by the notice or cause or permit another person to do so.