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Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law Volume 4, 1986 - Issue 3
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Original Articles

The Crown Estate Commissioners: Their Role and Responsibilities in Respect of the Foreshore and Seabed around Scotland

Mungo E. Deans Lecturer in Law, University of Dundee.
Pages 166-187 | Published online: 08 Jun 2015

  • As in Luss Estates Co. v. BP. (Grangemouth Refinery) Ltd. 1982 S.L.T. 457.
  • Smith v. Lerwick Harbour Trustees (1903) 5 F. 680.
  • Gammell v. H.M. Commissioners of Woods and Forests (1859) III Macqueen 419.
  • The limits of the territorial sea are now established by Order in Council and are measured from base lines around the coast, see Territorial Waters Order in Council 1964, as amended (Halsbury's Statutory Instruments, Vol. 23, p. 132).
  • In terms of the Coal Act 1938, s.42(1), and the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946.
  • See note 5, supra, as applied by the Continental Shelf Act 1964, s.1(2).
  • Continental Shelf Act 1964, s.1(3).
  • H.L. Deb. January 16,1979, Vol. 397, col. 932.
  • See notes 5 and 6, supra.
  • Continental Shelf Act 1964, s.1(3).
  • 1964 U.K.T.S. 39, Cmnd. 2422.
  • Para. 65.
  • As far as Scotland is concerned a brief historical reference to Crown lands appears in J.D.B. Mitchell, “The Royal Prerogative in Modern Scots Law” [1957] P.L. 304. Accounts of the history of the Commissioners with particular reference to England can be found in Apps. B and D of the Report of the Committee on Crown Lands, 1955, Cmnd. 9483, and in App. 18 of the Report of the Select Committee on the Civil List, H.C. 29 (1971–72).
  • Smith v. Lerwick Harbour Trustees, op. cit. note 2 at p. 688.
  • Civil List Act 1760 (I Geo. 3, c. 1).
  • Civil List Act 1952.
  • Report of the Committee on Crown Lands, para. 5, op. cit. note 13.
  • For an account of the management of the Crown Lands in Scotland up until 1833, see Officers of State v. Lord Dunglas (1839) 1 D300. Transfer of the Scottish revenues was effected in terms of the Crown Lands (Scotland) Act 1832 (2 and 3 Will 4, c. 112) and the Crown Lands (Scotland) Act 1833 (3 and 4 Will 4, c. 69).
  • Crown Lands Act 1866 (29 and 30 Vict. c. 62); see also Crown Lands Act 1906, c. 28.
  • Coast Protection Act 1949, s.37. In terms of s.40 of this Act “Crown Foreshore” included the seabed.
  • 1955, Cmnd. 9483.
  • Ibid. para. 7.
  • H.C. Deb. June 26, 1961, Vol. 643, col. 614.
  • See reports of the Public Accounts Committee (H.C. 404; 1981–82) and of the Comptroller and Auditor General (H.C. 379; 1981–82). Also the foreword by the First Commissioner to the Commissioners’ Report 1985.
  • H.C. Deb. June 26, 1961, Vol. 643, cols. 590–591.
  • 1961 Act, s.3(6).
  • Ibid. S.4.
  • H.C. Deb. April 12, 1983, Vol. 40, col. 722.
  • H.C. Deb. July 6, 1961, Vol. 643, col. 1785; see by way of analogy Trusts (Scotland) Act 1961, s.2(1), Settled Land Act 1925, s.110.
  • [1969] 2 A.C. 147, 208.
  • Mr. E.G. Willis, M.P., H.C. Deb. July 6, 1961, Vol. 643, col. 1783.
  • See note 30 supra also S.A. de Smith; Judicial Review of Administrative Action (4th ed. by J.M. Evans, 1980) pp. 374–375; McDaid v. Clydebank District Council 1984 S.L.T. 162.
  • Op. cit. note 2.
  • Agnew v. Lord Advocate (1873) 11 M 309; Fisherrow Harbour Commissioners v. Musselburgh Real Estate Co. (1903) 5 F 387.
  • For the purposes of assessing the Crown's property rights at common law the territorial sea was measured from the low water mark. For the current delineation see note 4, supra.
  • 1977 S.L.T. 19.
  • Op. cit. note 2 per Lord Kinnear at p. 691.
  • Op. cit. note 36 at p. 20.
  • 1979 S.C. 156 per Lord President Emslie at p. 169.
  • (8th ed., 1980), p. 593.
  • Agnew v. Lord Advocate, op. cit. note 34.
  • Gammell, op. cit. note 3.
  • Lord Advocate v. Wemyss (1899) 2 F (H.L.) 1.
  • Gloag and Henderson, op. cit. note 40.
  • Op. cit. note 34, per LJ-C Moncrieff at pp. 323–324 and Lord Neaves at pp. 331–332.
  • Crown Estate Commissioners v. Fairlie Yacht Slip Ltd., op. cit. note 36, at p. 21.
  • Ibid, at p. 21.
  • Ibid, at pp. 22–23.
  • Op. cit. note 39 at p. 175.
  • Ibid. per L.P. Emslie at p. 169.
  • Smith v. Lerwick Harbour Trustees, op. cit. note 2 per Lord Kinnear at p. 691.
  • Op. cit. note 36 at p. 21. See also Officers of State v. Smith (1846) 8 D 711.
  • Professor John Erskine, An Institute of the Law of Scotland (1773) II. 1.6; Smith v. Lerwick Harbour Trustees, op. cit. note 2 at p. 691.
  • H.C. Deb. April 12, 1983, Vol. 40, col. 725.
  • Fairlie op. cit. note 39, per L.P. Emslie at p. 169.
  • Ibid. per L.P. Emslie at p. 178; Burnet v. Barclay, 1955, J.C. 34, per LJ-C Thomson at p. 40.
  • Fairlie, op. cit. note 39, per L.P. Emslie at p. 178.
  • Vide the nature of the dispute in Luss Estates Co. v. B.P. (Grangemouth Refinery) Ltd, op. cit. note 1, supra.
  • For some discussion of the extent of these public rights regard may be had to the following: navigation—Fairlie, op. cit. note 39; white fishing—MacDowall v. Lord Advocate (1875) 2 R (H.L.) 49, Gibson v. Lord Advocate 1975 S.L.T. 134; recreation—Officers of State v. Smith, op. cit. note 52, supra, Burnet v. Barclay, op. cit., note 56, supra.
  • See note 8, supra.
  • See note 11, supra.
  • Earl of Lonsdale v. Attorney-General [1982] 3 All E.R. 579.
  • See A.D.G. Hill and J.R. Salter in T. Daintith and G. Willoughby (eds.), Manual of United Kingdom Oil and Gas Law (1984), para. 1–780.
  • Op. cit. note 11, supra, Art. 2(4).
  • See note 63, supra.
  • Gammell v. H. M. Commissioners of Woods and Forests, op. cit. note 3. per Lord Wensleydale at p. 465; Lord Advocate v. Clyde Navigation Trustees (1891) 19 R 174 per Lord Young at p. 183 and Lord Kyllachy at p. 177; Lord Advocate v. Wemyss, op. cit. note 43 per Lord Watson at pp. 8–9. In relation to English law see Gann v. Free Fishers of Whitstable (1865) 11 H.L.C. 192 per Lord Chelmsford at p. 219; Earl of Lonsdale v. Attorney-General, op. cit. note 62.
  • North Sea Continental Shelf, Judgment, I.C.J. Reports 1969, pp. 22, 31.
  • See note 11 supra, Art. 7.
  • Argyll and Bute District Council v. Secretary of State for Scotland, 1977, S.L.T. 33.
  • See, e.g. Zetland County Council Act 1974, Orkney County Council Act 1974.
  • See notes 5 and 6, supra.
  • See note 10, supra.
  • See Hill and Salter in Daintith and Willoughby, op. cit. note 63 at para. 1–728.
  • Ibid.
  • Petroleum and Submarine Pipelines Act 1975, Sched. 4, para. 6(c).
  • Submarine Telegraph Act 1885, Continental Shelf Act 1964, s.8(1), Petroleum and Submarine Pipelines Act 1975, s.45(1).
  • Lord Advocate v. Wemyss op. cit. note 43, per Lord Watson at p. 8.
  • Commissioners’ Report 1983, para. 68.
  • Commissioners’ Report 1983, para. 68; 1982, para. 71; 1981, para. 64.
  • Commissioners’ Report 1984, para. 65.
  • H.C. Deb. June 26, 1961, Vol. 643, cols. 587–590.
  • Ibid. cols. 590–591.
  • Commissioners’ Report 1961, para. 79.
  • Ibid.
  • H.C. Deb. June 28,1961, Vol. 643, col. 615.
  • Commissioners’ Report 1961, para. 79.
  • H.C. Deb. June 28, 1961, Vol. 643, col. 618; Commissioners’ Report 1961, para. 79.
  • H.C. Deb. June 28,1961, Vol. 643, col. 620.
  • Ironically prior to the Town and Country Planning Act 1984, a grant of planning permission over Crown land, e.g. the foreshore, in which no non-Crown interest subsisted at the time of the grant was technically invalid. As this invalidity was only discovered in 1983 (H.C. Written Answers, May 12, 1983, Vol. 42, col. 459) the Commissioners do not appear to have encountered any problems arising from it. The 1984 Act retrospectively validates any such planning permission.
  • H.C. Deb. April 12, 1983, Vol. 40, col. 722.
  • See Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, s.138(2)(a).
  • Debate on the Miscellaneous Financial Provisions Bill, H.C. Deb. April 12, 1983, Vol. 40, cols. 723–724.
  • Ibid. col. 725.
  • Commissioners’ Report 1985, para. 98.
  • Department of Energy, Press Notice, ref. no. 67, May 23, 1985. See also Scottish Development Department Circular 12/1986, paras. 20–23.
  • Commissioners’ Report 1983, para. 71.
  • Vide, Crown Estate (Foreshore and Seabed) (Amendment) Bill (Bill 96; 1982–83); proposed amendments to the Town and Country Planning Bill 1983 discussed at H.C. Debs, 12 December 1983, vol. 50, cols. 786–793; Montgomery Committee of Inquiry into the Functions and Powers of the Islands Councils of Scotland, 1984, Cmnd. 9216, para. 7.14.
  • H.C. Deb. December 12, 1983, Vol. 50, cols. 786–793.

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