Clause 18

after subsection (1), insert —“(1A) Without affecting subsection (1), and despite anything in section 44, where at any time the Board has reason to believe that there is an impending high sea level event and action must be immediately taken to protect against coastal flooding at or through any prescribed place, the Board may immediately and without notice enter one or more of the following:

the prescribed place;

any premises owned by an owner of the prescribed place that are adjacent to, or are part of a row of premises (all of which are so owned) leading to, the prescribed place,and carry out any work or do any act for that purpose, including any of the following:

putting a coastal protection measure in place for the prescribed place (even if one is already in place for the prescribed place);

expanding a coastal protection measure (even if the expansion is not required under any code of practice under section 32);

maintaining or repairing a coastal protection measure, or sealing, blocking or otherwise covering up any breach in a coastal protection measure to protect against coastal flooding;

operating or deploying any component of a coastal protection measure.(1B) Where the Board enters any premises under subsection (1A), an authorised officer may effect the entry, with any assistance that he or she considers necessary, by breaking open any door, window, lock, fastener, floor, wall, ceiling, compartment, box, container or any other thing.”; and

after subsection (2), insert —“(3) Where the Board carries out any work or does any act under subsection (1A) or (2), the Board may do so with any assistants and workmen that are necessary for the purpose.(4) Without affecting section 50, the Board may, as it thinks just, recover the costs and expenses reasonably and necessarily incurred in carrying out any work or doing any act under subsection (1A) as follows:

recover the costs and expenses from the owner of the prescribed place;

if there is more than one owner —

recover the costs and expenses from any of the owners; or

apportion such costs and expenses among all or any of the owners and recover the sums apportioned from the respective owners.”.