Enlargement of prospecting area or mining area

(1) The holder of an exclusive prospecting licence or a mining licence may apply to the Minister to have his prospecting area or, as the case may be, mining area, enlarged in the manner specified in the application and the Minister may, subject to sub- section (2), approve the application or refuse to do so. (2) The Minister shall not approve an application made under sub-section (1) 66 (a) unless he is satisfied that to do so would be in the interest of the development of the mineral resources of Belize; or (b) if, by reason of this Act, the Minister could not then grant to the holder making the application an exclusive prospecting licence or, as the case may be, a mining licence over the area of land by the addition of which the prospecting area or mining area is to be enlarged, or could only do so subject to any condition which could not be satisfied. (3) The approval of the Minister under sub-section (1), may be given unconditionally, or subject to such conditions as the Minister may determine and specify in a notice given pursuant to sub-section (4) of the section. (4) Notice of the Minister’s decision under sub-section (1), shall be given to the holder of the prospecting licence or, as the case may be, mining licence concerned, and in the event that the Minister approves the application, the prospecting or mining area shall be deemed to have been enlarged accordingly. (5) To enable him to dispose of an application made under sub-section (1), the Minister may by notice served on the applicant require the applicant to furnish him, within such reasonable time as is specified in the notice, with such information relevant to the application as may be described in the notice.