Application for leases

(1) Every application for a lease of national lands shall be made to the Commissioner in the form in Schedule I. (2) Stamps to the value of such amount as may be specified shall be affixed to the application by the applicant and such stamps shall be cancelled by the officer receiving the (3) In every case where the application for lease is approved by the Minister but the lessee fails to occupy the leased property within six months from the date of notification to him of such approval, the lease shall become void unless the Minister in his discretion extends the time for such occupation on reasonable cause being shown to him. (4) Every person who applies to lease 500 acres or more of national land shall be required to carry out, at his own expense, an environmental impact assessment and provide the same to the Minister before the determination of his application for lease, and if the lease is approved, the lessee shall cause such assessment to be revised and provided to the Minister in like manner after every five years until the expiry of the lease. (5) Where the application is for a lease of less than 500 acres of land, the Minister may in his discretion require the applicant to carry out and submit an environmental impact assessment before the determination of his application for lease, and the provisions of sub-section (4) regarding the revision of such assessment after every five years shall likewise apply. (6) Every environmental impact assessment submitted to the Minister in pursuance of sub-sections (4) and (5) shall become the property of the Government of Belize. 11