Commencement Date
235.Sections 1-8 and 10-53 of, and Schedules 2-6 to, the Act are to be brought into force by order made by the Secretary of State in relation to England, or by the National Assembly for Wales in relation to Wales. Sections 54 and 55 will commence automatically two months after the Act is passed, so that the powers conferred by those sections will be exercisable after that date. Sections 9 and 57 and Schedule 1 (severance) are deemed to have come into force on 28 June 2005. The remaining provisions of the Act come into force on Royal Assent.
236.Provisions which are to be commenced by order may, by virtue of section 59(1)(b), be commenced at different times for different areas. In England, the requirements to update and improve the commons registers are expected to be phased in, so that not all local authorities will be required to update and improve their registers at the same time.