(1) All such highways as immediately
before the commencement of this Act were highways maintainable
at the public expense for the purposes of the Highways Act 1959
continue to be so maintainable (subject to this section and to
any order of a magistrates' court under section 47 below) for
the purposes of this Act.
(2) Without prejudice to any other
enactment (whether contained in this Act or not) whereby a
highway may become for the purposes of this Act a highway
maintainable at the public expense, and subject to this section
and section 232(7) below, and to any order of a magistrates'
court under the section 47 below, the following highways (not
falling within subsection (1) above) shall for the purposes of
this Act be highways maintainable at the public expense -
(a) a highway constructed by a highway authority, otherwise
than on behalf of some other person who is not a highway
authority;
(b) a highway constructed by a council within their own
area under Part V of the Housing Act 1957, other than one in
respect of which the local highway authority are satisfied
that it has not been properly constructed, and a highway
constructed by a council outside their own area under the said
Part V, being, in the latter case, a highway the liability to
maintain which is by virtue of the said Part V, vested in the
council who are the local highway authority for the area in
which the highway is situated;
(c) a highway that is a trunk road or a special road; and
(d) a highway, being a footpath or bridleway, created in
consequence of a public path creation order or a public path
diversion order or in consequence of an order made by the
Minister of Transport or the Secretary of State under section
209 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 or by a
competent authority under section 210 of that Act, or
dedicated in pursuance of a public path creation agreement.
(3) Paragraph (c) of subsection (2)
above is not to be construed as referring to a part of a trunk
road or special road consisting of a bridge or other part which
a person is liable to maintain under a charter or special
enactment, or by reason of tenure, enclosure or prescription.
(4) Subject to subsection (5) below,
where there occurs any event on the occurrence of which, under
any rule of law relating to the duty of maintaining a highway by
reason of tenure, enclosure or prescription, a highway would,
but for the enactment which abrogated the former rule of law
under which a duty of maintaining highways fell on the
inhabitants at large (section 38(1) of the Highways Act 1959) or
any other enactment, become, or cease to be, a highway which for
the purposes of this Act is a highway maintainable at the public
expense.
(5) A highway shall not by virtue of subsection (4)
above become a highway which for the purposes of the Act is a
highway maintainable at the public expense unless either -
(a) it was a highway before 31 August 1835; or
(b) it became a highway after that date and has at some
time been maintainable by the inhabitants at large of any area
or a highway maintainable at the public expense; and a highway
shall not by virtue of that subsection cease to be a highway
maintainable at the public expense if it is a highway which
under any rule of law would become a highway maintainable by
reason of enclosure but is prevented from becoming such a
highway by section 51 below.
(6) The council of every county and
London borough and the Common Council shall cause to be made and
shall keep corrected up to date, a list of the streets within
their area which are highways maintainable at the public
expense.
(7) Every list made under subsection (6)
above shall be kept deposited at the offices of the council by
whom it was made and may be inspected by any person free of
charge at all reasonable hours and in the case of a list made by
the council of a county, the county council shall supply to the
council of each district in the county an up to date list of the
streets within the area of the district that are highways
maintainable at the public expense, and the list so supplied
shall be kept deposited at the office of the district council
and may be inspected by any person free of charge at all
reasonable hours.
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