{"id":5643,"date":"2018-10-12T12:38:31","date_gmt":"2018-10-12T12:38:31","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-06-17T19:33:44","modified_gmt":"2019-06-17T19:33:44","slug":"sovmots-investments-v-ss-environment-1979","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lawteacher.net\/cases\/sovmots-investments-v-ss-environment-1979.php","title":{"rendered":"Sovmots Investments Ltd v SSE [1979]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sovmots Investments Ltd v Secretary of State for the Environment [1979] AC 144<\/strong><\/p>\n

Property Law – Compulsory Purchase – Ancillary rights<\/em><\/p>\n

Facts:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

A 150 year lease was granted to S Ltd (appellant) who built an office complex. 36 residential maisonettes were on top of the office complex but were not inhabited. The London Borough Council (LBC) purchased the flats as a leasehold. A special right of access was granted over the lifts and stairs. Ancillary rights were expressly passed in the conveyance (water, gas, electricity). LBC subleased the flats to B Ltd (appellant). A public inquiry found that even though LBC did not purchase the flats as a freehold, it did not invalidate the compulsory purchase as LBC had grounds to do so under s 189(1) of the Housing Act 1957 (the Act). <\/strong>The appellants objected.<\/p>\n

Issues:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether the maisonettes were houses under the definition and whether the ancillary rights were required to be specified in the compulsory purchase order.<\/p>\n

Held:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The appeal was allowed. Wheeldon v Burrows<\/em><\/strong> was considered, finding that the ancillary rights sought to be acquired did not pass under the first rule of Wheeldon. <\/em>Instead, it related to voluntary conveyances for the sale of land and was established on the principle that a grantor could not derogate from his own grant. It did not apply to a compulsory purchase. Further the ancillary rights did not suffice s 62 of the Law of Property Act 1925<\/strong> as it could not operate unless there had been some diversity of ownership or occupation of the quasi-dominant and quasi-servient tenements to the conveyance. The ancillary rights did not pass by necessary implication even though the definition of a \u201chouse\u201d under s 189(1) of the Act <\/strong>was wide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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