(a) Private property shall not be taken or damaged for public use without just compensation and, in all cases in which compensation is not made by the condemning authority, compensation shall be ascertained by a jury, as provided in this Act. When compensation is so made by the condemning authority, any party, upon application, may have a trial by jury to ascertain the just compensation to be paid. A demand on the part of the condemning authority for a trial by jury shall be filed with the complaint for condemnation of the condemning authority. When the condemning authority is plaintiff, a defendant desirous of a trial by jury must file a demand for a trial by jury on or before the return date of the summons served on him or her or on or before the date fixed in the publication in case of defendants served by publication. If no party in the condemnation action demands a trial by jury, as provided for by this Section, then the trial shall be before the court without a jury.
     (b) The right to just compensation, as provided in this Act, applies to the owner or owners of any lawfully erected off-premises outdoor advertising sign that is compelled to be altered or removed under this Act or any other statute, or under any ordinance or regulation of any municipality or other unit of local government, and also applies to the owner or owners of the property on which that sign is erected. The right to just compensation, as provided in this Act, applies to property subject to a conservation right under the Real Property Conservation Rights Act. The amount of compensation for the taking of the property shall not be diminished or reduced by virtue of the existence of the conservation right. The holder of the conservation right shall be entitled to just compensation for the value of the conservation right.