213.—(1) The power conferred on a local authority under any enactment to acquire land shall be construed in accordance with this section.

(2) (a) A local authority may, for the purposes of performing any of its functions (whether conferred by or under this Act, or any other enactment passed before or after the passing of this Act), including giving effect to or facilitating the implementation of its development plan or its housing strategy under section 94, do all or any of the following:

(i) acquire land, permanently or temporarily, by agreement or compulsorily,

(ii) acquire, permanently or temporarily, by agreement or compulsorily, any easement, way-leave, water-right or other right over or in respect of any land or water or any substratum of land,

(iii) restrict or otherwise interfere with, permanently or temporarily, by agreement or compulsorily, any easement, way-leave, water-right or other right over or in respect of any land or water or any substratum of land,

and the performance of all or any of the functions referred to in subparagraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) are referred to in this Act as an “acquisition of land”.

(b) A reference in paragraph (a) to acquisition by agreement shall include acquisition by way of purchase, lease, exchange or otherwise.

(c) The functions conferred on a local authority by paragraph (a) may be performed in relation to—

(i) land, or

(ii) any easement, way-leave, water-right or other right to which that paragraph applies,

whether situated or exercisable, as the case may be, inside or outside the functional area of the local authority concerned.

(3) (a) The acquisition may be effected by agreement or compulsorily in respect of land not immediately required for a particular purpose if, in the opinion of the local authority, the land will be required by the authority for that purpose in the future.

(b) The acquisition may be effected by agreement in respect of any land which, in the opinion of the local authority, it will require in the future for the purposes of any of its functions notwithstanding that the authority has not determined the manner in which or the purpose for which it will use the land.

(c) Paragraphs (a) and (b) shall apply and have effect in relation to any power to acquire land conferred on a local authority by virtue of this Act or any other enactment whether enacted before or after this Act.

(4) A local authority may be authorised by compulsory purchase order to acquire land for any of the purposes referred to in subsection (2) of this section and section 10 (as amended by section 86 of the Housing Act, 1966) of the Local Government (No. 2) Act, 1960, shall be construed so as to apply accordingly and the reference to “purposes” in section 10(1)(a) of that Act shall be construed as including purposes referred to in subsection (2) of this section.