Buying land - maybe a pipe dream...

Mark M

Mark M

Mark M

Soldato
Joined
6 Jan 2006
Posts
3,435
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne
There is a nice chunk of land out the back of my house which isnt used for anything really, no park, no kids, no nothing. It would be a perfect addition to my garden but no idea who owns it and if they would sell it. To the best of my knowledge the council cut the grass but I havent paid huge attention to it at all until recently when the cricket ball got blasted over the fence and I had to nip round and retrieve it and thought wow this would be great to extend the garden into!

So, how do I go about finding anything out with regards to the land and who owns it? Ive had a look on Land registry and if I put my postcode in it will only bring up the other houses and no entry for the land.

Edit - if it makes a difference to establishing who owns the land there is a small sub station at the very back of it which is currently walled off but happy to try and buy the land up to a ceertain point away from the sub station if that makes sense.
 
HM Land Registry as you have already alluded to is your first stop. Use the "Map Search" function which works better for land as land doesn't have nice easy address points like houses do. Once you have identified the ladn it will have a reference which will typically start with two letters (usually relating to the County) and then a 6-8 digit number. Use this to on the main page to obtain the full title and plan. The plan, unsurprisingly will show you the extent of the land, the title will give a description of the land and who the registered owner is. It will also list any charges that remain on the land.

You will also want to contact your local planning authority to identify the relevant policy constraints for the land which will give you some indication of the whether changing the use of the land is acceptable or not.
 
Nikumba said:
Start with the Land Registry I guess and go from there
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Gredawarha said:
HM Land Registry as you have already alluded to is your first stop. Use the "Map Search" function which works better for land as land doesn't have nice easy address points like houses do. Once you have identified the ladn it will have a reference which will typically start with two letters (usually relating to the County) and then a 6-8 digit number. Use this to on the main page to obtain the full title and plan. The plan, unsurprisingly will show you the extent of the land, the title will give a description of the land and who the registered owner is. It will also list any charges that remain on the land.

You will also want to contact your local planning authority to identify the relevant policy constraints for the land which will give you some indication of the whether changing the use of the land is acceptable or not.
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Thanks for the replies but unless Im missing something there seems to be nothing coming up for the land in the map view. If I put just the postcode in it takes me to my street but then just lists the properties and not the land. This is the link Im using but even then it says "Find a property - map enquiry" Is that correct?

Edit - you have to zoom in really far to get the land entries!
 
Mark M said:
Thanks for the replies but unless Im missing something there seems to be nothing coming up for the land in the map view. If I put just the postcode in it takes me to my street but then just lists the properties and not the land. This is the link Im using but even then it says "Find a property - map enquiry" Is that correct?

Edit - you have to zoom in really far to get the land entries!
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You might not be"missing something" as I'm using a business log in which might give me additional services.
 
I just needed to zoom in much further and then the "select properties" option activated and you can click on the land. Ive purchased the title document and its registered to Bellway Homes but I dont seem to be able to find out if this title relates to the whole estate that they would have bought in 1998 or just the bit at the back of my house? There isnt a map with the title which I assumed there would be.
 
Thanks but there is no option for plan on this title, just Title register[£3] and Flood Risk Indicator [£9]

In the title deads there is reference to 2 more titles that Ive seen so far and one of them relates to the substation that I mentioned above. When I search for that title it does give you the option to download the plan for £3.
 
There is definately a plan/map somewhere as Ive just spotted the following clause:

By an Agreement dated 2 April 1974 and made between (1) Algernon Investments (2) Bellway Homes Limited and (3) The Council of The City of Newcastle upon Tyne the pieces of land tinted pink on the filed plan were dedicated to the public forever for use as open spaces.
 
Mark M said:
There is definately a plan/map somewhere as Ive just spotted the following clause:

By an Agreement dated 2 April 1974 and made between (1) Algernon Investments (2) Bellway Homes Limited and (3) The Council of The City of Newcastle upon Tyne the pieces of land tinted pink on the filed plan were dedicated to the public forever for use as open spaces.
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Yes there will always be a plan.

Two options I see.

1. Sign up for an account, I have one through work so not sure if there's a fee.

2. Email them and ask for the plan a quoting the title number.

If you're happy to share the title number with me I can have a look online but I won't be able to provide you with a copy as it will probably be against the terms of our subscription and also my Local Authority (my employer) would be paying!
 
If you dont mind having a look that would be great thanks and of course dont expect you to provide a copy but really do appreciate the help thus far - TY140154

I'll drop them an email with the title number and see if I can get a copy of the plan thanks.
 
It's the land associated with your housing estate....it covers a good proportion of the roads as well (there is another title TY206988 covering the remainder). Trust me your email and I'll send you a screenshot from the LR map search system...

However, with that restrictive covenant on there, you're not going to be able to buy it in any case...
 
Trust sent thanks.

The TY206988 appears to relate to a property [4 Nedderton] that was built after my estate.

What is the restrictive covenant that you refer to? There is quite a lot in TY140154 referring to the Electricity board but wasnt sure on the others, finding some of the legal jargon difficult to follow!
 
Mark M said:
Trust sent thanks.

The TY206988 appears to relate to a property [4 Nedderton] that was built after my estate.

What is the restrictive covenant that you refer to? There is quite a lot in TY140154 referring to the Electricity board but wasnt sure on the others, finding some of the legal jargon difficult to follow!
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The bit that says it's dedicated forever for public use.
 
tom_e said:
The bit that says it's dedicated forever for public use.
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Yeah but Im not sure which area that relates to as it says its shaded in pink and Ive not seen the map. Its a huge estate and there is lots of green space so could relate to some or all of them I guess. There is also a park close a matter or meters away too.
 
Mark M said:
If you dont mind having a look that would be great thanks and of course dont expect you to provide a copy but really do appreciate the help thus far - TY140154

I'll drop them an email with the title number and see if I can get a copy of the plan thanks.
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Just ran a search and there is both title and plan available but not digitally so you would need to gain paper copies.

The map search function gives an outline of the land which is more often than not an accurate reflection of the title plan.

It includes the large field, all of Nuneaton Way, Nedderton Close the green amenity space between Callerton View, Aylsham Close and Needham Close.

This would suggest it's land retained by whoever constructed this estate, whether that be the LPA or a developer.
 
Mark M said:
the pieces of land tinted pink on the filed plan were dedicated to the public forever for use as open spaces.
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I don't know much about this kind of thing but I'm amazed that it's possible to put clauses like that in which tie up the land forever. Surely in the distant future things like this are going to start causing big problems?

I heard about another similar situation where a housing development was effectively divided up into 1m2 plots with house owners owning random 1m2 plots like a chess board across the plot. It was something to do with preventing any one owner from doing anything that the others had not given permission for.
 
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