Land Registry

[latned]

I want to do a search on some agricultural land, which forms do I need from the land registry and will the land owners be informed if a search is done against the land

[ginettag27]

What sort of search are you hoping to perform?

afaik the owners will not be informed.

It is even possible to apply for Planning permission on a piece of land you don't own, without the owners being informed, of course they may notice the public notice going up... But they won't be informed directly.

[Sam_68]

ginettag27 said:

It is even possible to apply for Planning permission on a piece of land you don't own, without the owners being informed

NO IT IS NOT!!!

You are obliged to 'Serve Notice' on the the owners of any land that you apply for Planning Permission on and sign Certificate B under the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 to say that you have done so.

If the owner of the land is unknown, you must demonstrate that you have taken all reasonable steps to find them (which would, of course, include a Land Registry search), also advertise the application in the press, and sign a Certificate C to say that you have done so.

If you fail to comply with these requirements, the Planning Application and any subsequent permission granted can be declared invalid.

[Piglet]

As asked, what kind of search?

Assuming you want to know who owns the land you need to do an index map search to start with, you can do this parcel by parcel (of land) or by sending one plan with the whole target area edged red BUT be careful, an index map search is free as long as it reveals less than a certain number of title numbers (I think it's either 10 or 12), if it reveals more than that they charge you a bleeding fortune (one of our trainees did one once and pick up something like £75 charge - ok it's not huge but it's unnecessary and our client had little intention of paying!) so you submit multiple searches with the land broken down into smaller parcels.

The index map search will produce a list of title numbers and if you are lucky you might get a plan that shows you which title number relates to which bit of land but it's more likely that you won't. The LR is also unlikely to return your plan so make sure that the reference that you show enables you to work out which parcel of land the search relates to.

Once you get the title numbers you'll have to get the title entries to find details of the owners of each bit of land, you should be able to do this from Land Registry online but older agricultural land might not be available on the online system. For lawyers if we can't download entries (usually where they are large plans) they get sent to us, I'm not sure that there is that option for Joe Public so you might need to compile a list of the title numbers you can't get and ask a lawyer to request them by post.

[latned]

Piglet said:

As asked, what kind of search?

Assuming you want to know who owns the land

Thanks Piglet

Thats exactly what I need to know, I presume I need to get hold of a detailed OS map and then send it to the LR, do I have to send it with any other LR form and payment or will they invoice me

[JOETHETOE]

Go on the land reg website and download the title docs by doing an address search or detailed map enquiry, this will tell you who owns the land.

Cheers

[latned]

JOETHETOE said:

Go on the land reg website and download the title docs by doing an address search or detailed map enquiry, this will tell you who owns the land.

Cheers

Joe

It's a field along a country lane approx 5 miles long with no properties along it, so I haven't got a physical address for it

[Sam_68]

If you get a field number (from a large scale - 1:2500 or 1:1250 - O.S. map) and grid reference, the land registry can do a title search based on that.

[Piglet]

latned said:

Piglet said:

As asked, what kind of search?

Assuming you want to know who owns the land

Thanks Piglet

Thats exactly what I need to know, I presume I need to get hold of a detailed OS map and then send it to the LR, do I have to send it with any other LR form and payment or will they invoice me

I'm not sure how much you can do as an individual, probably worth ringing your local LR and asking, they are usually very helpful, ask for "Enquiries".

You submit an index map search with a plan attached with the area you are interested highlighted (traditionally edged red but it doesn't matter), just don't do a huge area as you'll end up with a fee if it's more than either 10 or 12 entries revealed.

You'll get a list of title numbers which you then request from the LR but see my points above about being able to download the larger plans.

[latned]

Thanks Piglet and Sam for your help, I'll let you know how I get on

[edb49]

latned - just go on the LR website and navigate on the map to the field, then put the search in the middle of the field. You can download a plan for £1 and it will show you the whole area the plan applies to; you can then work outwards from this plan if it doesn't cover the whole area you are interested in, as you will have a point of reference.