The council of any county, county borough, London borough or county district may acquire by agreement—
any land which they require for any purpose for which a local authority may be authorised to acquire land under section 112 of this Act;
any building appearing to them to be of special architectural or historic interest; and
any land comprising or contiguous or adjacent to such a building which appears to the Secretary of State to be required for preserving the building or its amenities, or for affording access to it, or for its proper control or management.
The powers conferred by subsection (1) of this section shall not be exerciseable by a council except with the consent of the Secretary of State, unless the land which is to be acquired either—
is immediately required by the council for the purpose for which it is to be acquired ; or
if it is not so required, is land within the area of the council.
The provisions of Part I of the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965 (so far as applicable), other than sections 4 to 8, section 10 and section 31, shall apply in relation to the acquisition of land under this section.
The powers conferred by this section on the councils of London boroughs shall be exerciseable also by the Greater London Council—
in a London borough, with the consent of the council of the borough; or
in the Inner Temple or the Middle Temple with the consent of the Sub-Treasurer or, as the case may be, Under-Treasurer thereof; or
in any of the areas aforesaid if the appropriate consent aforesaid is withheld, with the consent of the Secretary of State; or
in relation to land in any of the areas aforesaid, without any such consent as aforesaid, if the land is used for the purposes of an industrial or commercial undertaking and is to be acquired incidentally to the removal of that undertaking from Greater London.