Common Services Tunnels Act 2018 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 1 · Preliminary
3. Purpose of Act
Feedback & supportThe purpose of this Act is —
to establish common services tunnel areas;
common services tunnel
“common services tunnel” or “CST” means a system of underground concrete structures within a common services tunnel area used or intended to be used for the purpose of the housing and distribution of utility services to land within and outside the area;
to ensure the safe and efficient operation and functionality of common services tunnels and any ancillary facility of a common services tunnel;
ancillary facility
“ancillary facility”, in relation to a common services tunnel, means —(a)any electrical substation, electrical switch room, generator set room or control centre used for the purposes of the common services tunnel; and(b)any ancillary structure;
to require suppliers of utility services to execute agreements to use a common services tunnel for the purpose of laying, placing or installing, or to house, their utility services infrastructure;
utility services infrastructure
“utility services infrastructure” means any cables, wires, lines, pipes, or ducts used, or for use, in relation to the provision of any utility service, and includes any of the following:(a)powerlines, substations and equipment for monitoring, distributing, converting, transforming or controlling electricity;(b)pipelines, meters or equipment (such as pressure control devices, excess flow valves, actuators, electrical equipment, telemetry equipment and protection installations) used, or for use, in relation to the transmission or distribution of gas;(c)water storages, mains and treatment plants, pumps, facilities and equipment for distributing water, or monitoring or controlling the distribution of water for supply to premises;(d)sewerage storages, trunk sewers, mains and treatment plants, pumps, facilities and equipment for conveying sewerage, or monitoring or controlling the conveyance of sewerage.
to secure the right of access by authorised officers, authorised persons and persons authorised by authorised officers to any common services tunnel and any ancillary facility of the common services tunnel; and
to ensure the upkeep of any ancillary facility of a common services tunnel by owners and occupiers of land on which the ancillary facility is located.
land
“land” includes buildings, premises, easements and hereditaments of any tenure;