PLANS OF PUBLIC UTILITIES

Q/D/P/1-Q/D/P/610

PLANS OF PUBLIC UTILITIES

1796-1973

English

A standing order of the House of Commons made in 1792 and confirmed by an act of Parliament of 1837 required proposed schemes for commercial and other developments of a public nature, such as new roads, canals, railways, and gas works, to be deposited for public inspection with the clerk of the Peace of the counties concerned. All such shemes were authorised by a private act of Parliament. It was intended that those who considered that they or their property might be adversely affected by the scheme could raise objections. Claims for compensation were sometimes decided by juries. Schemes subject to these provisions included those which could alter land use, such as canals, railways or gas pipes.

In addition to drawings of the proposed works, including sections and elevations where appropriate, there were always plans showing the extent of the site and land adjacent. These plans were drawn on a large scale and show the plots of land near the proposed works marked with a number referring to the list of owners. Sometimes only the immediate neighbourhood was shown, but some plans cover a fairly large area. The list of owners gives the reference numbers of the properties on the plan, names of the owners, names of the occupiers (chief leaseholders) and a description of the property, such as 'arable field', 'private road', (the description does not always appear in the earlier ones).

The plans are of proposed schemes only and were deposited prior to the authorising act. Not all the schemes were carried out, nor did those that were, necessarily follow the form of the original deposited plans. Altered plans or plans of extensions of a scheme might be deposited in succeeding years but there was no provision for the deposit of a final plan in the authorising act.

A standing order of the House of Lords in 1843 required the deposit of a sealed duplicate copy. These do not survive as a series in County Durham but second copies exist of many plans.

An Act of 1845 required copies of the act authorising each scheme to be deposited but these too are not now with the Quarter Sessions records. Plans relating to North Durham, that is Islandshire, Norham and Bedlington were deposited with the Clerk of the Peace of the County of Durham until 1844.

When schemes overlapped county boundaries, plans were deposited in both counties.