The highway authority for a highway may by a licence granted under this section permit the occupier or the owner of any premises adjoining the highway to plant and maintain, or to retain and maintain, trees, shrubs, plants or grass in such part of the highway as may be specified in the licence.
The highway authority may, as they think fit—
and references in this section to the licensee are references to the person who is for the time being entitled by virtue of such a licence to do anything permitted by it to be done.
No fine, rent or other sum of money is payable in respect of such a licence except—
and any such sum is recoverable from the licensee.
It shall be a condition of every licence granted by virtue of subsection (2)(b) above that within one month after any change in the ownership of the premises in question takes place the licensee is to inform the highway authority of it.
A highway authority may attach to any such licence such conditions as they consider necessary to ensure the safety and convenience of passengers in the highway and to prevent traffic therein being delayed, to prevent any nuisance or annoyance being caused to the owners or occupiers of other premises adjoining the highway and to protect the apparatus of statutory undertakers, . . . and the operators of electronic communications code networksor driver information systems.
A highway authority may by notice served on the licensee withdraw a licence granted by them under this section—
The licensee and the person who immediately before the expiration, withdrawal or surrender of a licence under this section was the licensee or, if that person has died, his personal representatives shall indemnify the highway authority against any claim in respect of injury, damage or loss arising out of—
but this subsection is not to be taken as requiring any person to indemnify the highway authority against any claim in respect of injury, damage or loss which is attributable to the negligence of that authority.
If any person plants a tree or shrub in a highway otherwise than in pursuance of a licence granted under this section, the tree or shrub is to be deemed, for the purposes of section 141 above, to have been planted in contravention of that section.
Where the land on which a highway is situated is owned by the highway authority for the highway, nothing in subsection (3) above is to be taken as affecting the rights of that authority as the owner of that land to grant to any person, for such consideration as they think fit, the right to plant any thing in that land.