A BILL [AS AMENDED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE] ΤΟ Extend the Municipal Boundaries of the Borough of Belfast, and to reduce the Scale of rating upon certain Property within the said Borough. [Note.-The Clauses marked A. to I. were added by the Select Committee.] W HEREAS an Act was passed in the Third and Fourth Preamble. Years of the Reign of Her present Majesty, intituled "An 3 & 4 Vict. "Act for the Regulation of Municipal Corporations in c. 108. "Ireland," which Act was amended by another Act passed in the 5 Sixth and Seventh Years of the Reign of Her present Majesty, intituled "An Act to amend an Act of the Third and Fourth Years "of Her present Majesty, for the Regulation of Municipal Corpora"tions in Ireland:" And whereas a Local and Personal Act was passed in the Eighth and Ninth Years of the Reign of Her said 10 Majesty, intituled "An Act for the Improvement of the Borough 8 & 9 Vict. c. 142. (Local "of Belfast," which last-recited Act was amended by the Local and and PerPersonal Acts following, that is to say, Ninth and Tenth Victoria, sonal.) Chapter Two hundred and ninety-four, Tenth and Eleventh Victoria, Chapter Two hundred and fifty-four, and Thirteenth and Fourteenth 15 Victoria, Chapter One hundred and eight; and the said several Acts are now in operation in the Borough of Belfast: And whereas it is expedient that the Boundaries of the said Borough, as defined by the said first-recited Act, should be extended, and that the 696. A CLAUSE A. Title of Act. CLAUSE B. Limits of altered and extended. the Boundaries of the several Wards into which the same is divided should be altered, and that the maximum Scale of rating upon Property above the annual Value of Eighty Pounds liable to be rated under the said thirdly-recited Act should be reduced: And whereas the same cannot be effected without the Authority of Parlia- 5 ment: May it therefore please Your Majesty that it may be enacted; and be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, as follows; (that is to say,) I. In citing this Act for any Purpose, it shall be sufficient to use the Expression "The Belfast Borough Extension Act, 1853." 10 II. So much of the said firstly-recited Act as relates to the Bounthe Borough daries of the Borough of Belfast, and to the Boundaries of the Wards into which the said Borough is divided, shall be and the same is hereby 15 repealed, and in lieu thereof the Boundaries of the said Borough, and of the Five Wards into which the same is divided, shall for the Purposes of this Act be according to the Description of such Boundaries respectively set forth in Schedule (A.) to this Act annexed; and all the Houses, Lands, and Hereditaments within the Boundaries therein 20 specified, shall, from and after the Commencement of this Act, be Parts of the said Borough, to all Intents and Purposes as if the said Boundaries had been fixed and specified in the said firstly-recited Act, and in the Construction of the Description of such Boundaries the Rules in the said last-mentioned Act contained shall be observed. CLAUSE C. Acts in force relating to the Borough of Belfast to apply to the Borough as extended by this Act. CLAUSE D. Provisions outside the Borough. 25 III. All the Powers and Provisions of the said recited Acts and of all other Acts altering, amending, or enlarging the same or any of them, shall, so far as they are now in force and are unrepealed by and are not inconsistent with the Provisions of this Act, extend and apply to the Borough of Belfast, and to the several Wards thereof, and to 30 the Inhabitants of the said Borough as extended and defined by this Act. IV. Provided always, That it shall and may be lawful, within so as to buying much of the Manor of Belfast as lies beyond the Boundaries of the and selling said Borough as defined by the said first-recited Act, for any Person 35 to sell or expose for Sale any Butter, Milk, Eggs, Poultry, Fruit, Fish, or Vegetables for the domestic Consumption of the Buyer at or near to the Premises of either the Owner of such Commodity or of the Person to whom the same may be sold or offered for Sale. Repeal of so much of 8 & 9 Vict. V. So much of the said thirdly-recited Act as authorizes the 40 Council, once in every Year, to be computed from the First Day of January enables the 801. annual Pound. to exceed January in each Year, or oftener if they shall think it necessary, c. 142. as to make One or more Rate or Rates, Assessment or Assessments, Council to upon the Occupiers of all Houses, Buildings, Tenements, Quays, rate Property Wharfs, and other Hereditaments within the Limits of the said Act exceeding 5 exceeding Eighty Pounds annual Value, so as such Rates or Assess- Value at ments do not exceed in any One Year the Sum of Four Shillings and 4s. 6d. in the Sixpence in the Pound on the annual Value of the same, shall be and the same is hereby repealed; and in lieu thereof, it shall be Rate on such lawful for the Council, once in every Year, from and after the Com- Property not 10 mencement of this Act, to be computed from the First Day of Ja- 3s. in the nuary in each Year, or oftener if they shall think it necessary, to Pound. make One or more Rate or Rates, Assessment or Assessments, upon the Occupiers of all Houses, Buildings, Tenements, Quays, Wharfs, and other Hereditaments within the Limits of the Borough for the 15 Time being, exceeding Eighty Pounds annual Value, so as such Rates or Assessments do not exceed in any One Year the Sum of Three Shillings in the Pound on the annual Value of the same; and the said last-mentioned Rate, and the other Rates authorized to be levied by the said last-mentioned Act and not hereby repealed, shall be 20 diminished or varied in the Proportions, and applied in the Manner, and be subject to the Provisions of the said last-mentioned Act: Provided always, that nothing in this Act contained shall extend or be deemed to extend to repeal, alter, or in any Manner affect the Provisions of the said recited Acts or any of them relating to the making, 25 collecting, and recovering of the Rates thereby authorized, save as to the Rate by this Act repealed, and that all such Provisions, and all other Provisions therein contained relating to the Rates or Exemption from Rates shall extend and apply to the Rate hereby authorized to be made in lieu of the Rate so repealed as aforesaid. 30 CLAUSE E. Demesnes Cases from Rates. VI. Provided always, That so long as any Demesne situate within the Exempting said Borough shall be of an Extent of not less than Forty Acres, and shall be in the Occupation of the Owner thereof or his Under-tenant, and in which Streets shall not have been laid out and formed, and on which Dwelling Houses shall not have been built, the Owner or 35 Tenant of such Demesne shall not be rated in respect of such Demesne, or in respect of any Mansion House or other Building situate therein and occupied therewith, unless such Tenant or Owner shall by Notice in Writing require to be rated in respect of such Demesne and Mansion House under the said recited Acts or any of 40 them. CLAUSE F. Act shall prevent VII. Nothing in the said recited Acts or in this Act contained shall Nothing in in any Manner prevent or hinder the burning of Bricks or Lime, or the building of Kilns for such Purpose, within any Part of the burning 696. Bricks, &c. Borough in Places not lighted and watched. CLAUSE G. 10 & 11 Vict. c. 254. to Borough as defined by this Act which shall not for the Time being be lighted and watched under the Provisions of the said thirdly recited Act. VIII. The Provisions in the said Local and Personal Act of the Provisions of Tenth and Eleventh Victoria, Chapter Two hundred and fifty-four, 5 Section Thirty-seven, contained, relating to the Royal Belfast Queen's Col- Academical Institution and the Belfast Academy, shall extend and lege and Court House apply to the Queen's College at Belfast, and to the Court-house and and Gaol of Gaol of the County of Antrim, and to the Lands held with such County of Antrim. Court-house and Gaol, so long as the same shall be held and occupied 10 by the Grand Jury of the said County for County Purposes. CLAUSE H. IX. This Act shall commence and have Effect on and from the ment of Act. First Day of December next after the passing of this Act. CLAUSE I. Costs of Act. X. The Costs, Charges, and Expenses of applying for, obtaining, and passing this Act, or preparatory or incident thereto, shall 15 be paid and discharged by the Treasurer of the Borough of Belfast out of the Borough Fund. SCHE SCHEDULE (A.) GENERAL BOUNDARY. From the Northern Lighthouse on the Eastern Twin Island, Southward, in a straight Line to the Centre of the Bridge over Conn's Water on the Hollywood Railway, thence Southward along the Boundary of the Townland of Ballymacarret to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the Townland of Ballynafoy, thence Southward and Westward along the said Boundary of Ballynafoy to the Point at which the same meets the River Lagan, thence Westward along the River Lagan to the Centre of the Weir adjoining the Canal, thence Northward along the Canal to the First Lock, thence North-westward along the Road at the West Side of the River Lagan to the Point at which the same is crossed by the Old Belfast Watercourse, thence Southward and Westward along the said Watercourse to a Brick Wall belonging to the Water Commissioners, thence Southward along the Fence which divides Mr. Batt's from Mr. Ward's Property, thence Westward along the Fence which divides Mr. Ward's Property from Mr. Gilmore's and Mr. Batt's Property to the Old Lisburn Road, thence Northward about Fifty Yards on the Old Lisburn Road to the Fence of Mr. McQuiston's Property, thence Westward along the said Fence which divides Mr. McQuiston's Property from Mr. Roney's and Mr. Owden's Property to the Point at which the same meets the Blackstaff River, thence North-westward in a straight Line to the Point at which the Old White Rock Road meets the Falls Road, thence Westward along the Old White Rock Road to the Point at which the same meets the Cross Road close to the Fort, thence Northward along the said Cross Road to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the Townland of Ballmurphy, thence Northwestward along the said Boundary to the North-east Point of the said Boundary, thence Northward in a straight Line to the Centre of the Fort immediately behind the House of Mr. Moses Staunton, thence North-eastward in a straight Line to the Point at which the Boundary of Ballysillan Lower meets the Forth River, thence North-eastward along the said Boundary to the North-east Point of the said Boundary at which the same meets a Stream, thence Eastward and Northward along the said Stream to the Point at which the said Stream crosses the Road at Old Park Mills, thence Northward and Eastward along the Road to the South End of the House of Mr. John Beatty, thence Eastward 696. B |