57.—(1) A property in relation to which an application has been made under subsection (1) of section 3 of the Act of 1988, being an application in respect of which a determination under subsection (3) of that section has not been made before the commencement of this Act or in respect of which such a determination has been so made but that determination has not been issued under the said subsection (3) before such commencement, shall be deemed to be property in relation to which the Commissioner has made an appointment of an officer of the commissioner under section 28.

(2) The person who was assigned by the Commissioner under the Act of 1852 to deal with that application shall be deemed to have been the officer of the Commissioner so appointed.

(3) Such an application is referred to in subsection (4) as a “relevant application”.

(4) Subject to subsection (9), so much of subsections (4) to (9) of section 28 in Part 6 and the other Parts of this Act as are appropriate, having regard to the steps that may already have been taken under the Act of 1988 in relation to the application concerned, shall apply to a relevant application with any necessary modifications.

(5) An appeal made to the Commissioner under, and in accordance with, section 19 or 31 of the Act of 1852, being an appeal in respect of which a determination by the Commissioner under that Act has not been made before the commencement of this Act or in respect of which such a determination has been so made but that determination has not been published under that Act before such commencement, shall be deemed to be an appeal made to the Commissioner under section 30(1).

(6) Subject to subsection (9), so much of this Act (other than section 31) as is appropriate, having regard to the steps that may already have been taken under the Act of 1852 in relation to such an appeal, shall apply to the appeal with any necessary modifications.

(7) An appeal made to the Tribunal under, and in accordance with, section 3(5) of the Act of 1988, being an appeal which has not been heard by the Tribunal under that Act before the commencement of this Act or which has been so heard but in respect of which a determination has not been made by the Tribunal before such commencement, shall be deemed to be an appeal made to the Tribunal under section 34.

(8) Subject to subsection (9), so much of this Act (other than section 35) as is appropriate, having regard to the steps that may already have been taken under the Act of 1988 in relation to such an appeal, shall apply to the appeal with any necessary modifications.

(9) The officer of the Commissioner, the Commissioner or the Tribunal, as the case may be, in considering, by virtue of this section, an application referred to in subsection (1) or an appeal referred to in subsection (5) or (7), where he or she or it is of opinion that the property concerned is property of a nature that could not have been the subject of an appointment such as is referred to in subsection (1) or an appeal such as is referred to in subsection (5) or (7) if this Act had been in operation at the time of the making of the application or appeal—

(a) shall give notice to the person or persons concerned of that opinion and invite, by means of that notice, that person or those persons to make submissions in relation to the matter to him or her or it within a specified period (and that person or those persons may make such submissions within that period accordingly),

(b) may, subject to section 67, having considered any such submissions made to him or her or it within that period, dispose of the application or appeal in such manner as he or she or it considers appropriate.