Compulsory Purchase Orders

What is it?

Compulsory purchase involves the taking of private land by the state in order to carry out projects for the benefit of the general public. 

Government departments and public bodies, such as local authorities, transport or utilities companies (called "acquiring authorities") are given statutory powers which enable them to acquire land compulsorily for specific public projects.

A Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) is the act by which the Council acquires land compulsorily. Any compulsory purchase must be confirmed by the Scottish Ministers, so when the Council promotes (or "makes") a CPO, the Council also applies to the Scottish Government for confirmation.

During this period of consideration by the Scottish Ministers, any interested party has the right to object to the Order. You can view the CPOs currently promoted by Glasgow City Council here, together with information on who to contact in relation to each one of them.

What is the process for CPOs?

The steps in making and obtaining confirmation CPO are set in statute and involve the use of certain statutory forms and notices, under a special procedure.

The CPO procedure involves:

• Council's resolution to make the CPO 
  This involves a decision by one of Council's Committees competent to deal with the proposed project.  All committee documents are in the public domain and are available Online.

• The making of the CPO by the Council
  This procedure involves the drafting of the Compulsory Purchase Order and other statutory documents.

• Notice of making of the CPO by the Council
   This is done by observing statutory procedures.

• 21 days for objections to the CPO
  The Notice of making the Order gives interested parties at least 21 days for objections from the date of the first publication in the newspapers. Any objection must be done in writing directly to the Scottish Government, as clearly specified in the Notices for the relevant CPO.

• Submission of CPO by the Council to the Scottish Minister for confirmation
  More information on the CPO process can be found in the  Scottish Government Guide for Property Owners.

• Confirmation of the Order by the Scottish Government
  The final step of the CPO procedure is confirmation of the Order by the Scottish Ministers.

• Notice of Confirmation of the CPO
  This is done by observing statutory procedures.

What type of property is considered for CPO?

Empty homes or houses in disrepair, derelict land, residential or commercial properties or any other land can be included in a compulsory purchase, depending on the type of public project envisaged by the acquiring authority.  For example:

• urban regeneration
• bringing empty homes back into use
• roads and canals
• railways
• water supply and drainage
• private enterprise
• modern technology i.e. (electricity, gas, land and mobile telephony, broadband) 
• green energy projects

Where can I view CPOs

The links below provide a list of compulsory purchase orders currently approved by Glasgow City Council's Committee and advertised by Glasgow City Council and submitted to the Scottish Ministers for confirmation:

• Proposed Compulsory Purchase Orders
• Currently Promoted Compulsory Purchase Orders
• Confirmed Compulsory Purchase Orders