Commentary on Sections Part 3 — Buildings of special architectural or historic interest Chapter 5 — Acquisition and preservation of buildings of special interest Section 143 — Management, use and disposal of building acquired under this Chapter
538.Section 143 makes provision for the management, use and disposal of buildings acquired under this Chapter. Subsection (1) makes provision about a building or other land acquired by a planning authority under this Chapter — whether by agreement or by compulsory acquisition. The authority may make any arrangements for the management, use or disposal of the building or land that it considers appropriate for the purpose of preserving the building or land. Subsection (3) makes similar provision in relation to a building or land acquired compulsorily by the Welsh Ministers, but permits them to make “any arrangements that they consider appropriate for the management, custody or use of the building or land” or dispose or deal with the building or land in any other way.
539.There are a number of options available to an authority acquiring a building under this Chapter. In the simplest arrangement, the authority would purchase the building, undertake the required repairs and either use it for its own purposes or sell it to a new owner. Alternatively, the authority could sell it unrepaired subject to a condition for its repair. For larger or more complex buildings, the acquiring authority might establish a “back-to-back” agreement, possibly with ownership passing to a building preservation trust or another charitable body set up with the specific objective to conserve the building that has been acquired.