unadopted road walled off by neighbour

leafy211

Access to my property is accessed via a very narrow private road.  Turning space has always been limited, but previously, the adjoining unadopted road was accessible to use for 3-point turn etc. However the neighbours in front of me have now bricked up that access to extend their rear garden. I dont believe they have purchased the land, as still showing as unadopted with land registry (i assume they are planning on claiming adverse possession at some point .. they moved in Oct 2020). 
I wondered
1. how should i go about registering a complaint with the relevant government body (is that land registry and if so how?)
2. would the neighbours know it was me complaining or could it be done anonymously?  (Obviously would rather stay on good terms with the neighbours if possible).
Any guidance would be hugely appreciated.

user1977

leafy211 said:

1. how should i go about registering a complaint with the relevant government body (is that land registry and if so how?)

Why do you think the Land Registry are involved if there's apparently been no application to them? I can't see anything suggesting a government body is relevant here. If the neighbours have obstructed an area over which you have a right of access (are you sure you do have rights over that specific bit?) then you need to deal with the neighbour.

leafy211

I thought Land Registry as I understood they manage the registration of all land.  I dont know if there has been an application to them .. would they tell me? Local council confirmed its unadopted.  I dont know if i have any right to use the blocked off road (how can i find out?).  Its just been there for years and has been used as a turning point for my property.  Current situation is that anything bigger than a luton van would not be able to approach my property with any safety or ease.  There must be some authority to go to when neighbour has bricked up an access path? Obviously the neighbour is not going to simply knock down their 6 foot wall if i ask them nicely :-)

Section62

leafy211 said:

I dont know if i have any right to use the blocked off road (how can i find out?).

Check your deeds, also those of the other property.

If there's a right of way it will usually be recorded there.

(if you don't have them already, get them online from LR for £3)

user1977

leafy211 said:

I thought Land Registry as I understood they manage the registration of all land.

They do. That's all they do. It's not their responsibility to police who is occupying bits of land or building walls.

I dont know if i have any right to use the blocked off road (how can i find out?). 

Look at your title deeds. If you don't own the land and you don't have a right to use it (either stated in the deeds, or acquired due to x years of use) then it's not really any of your business. Is it actually obstructing vehicular access to your property or just removing a handy turning space?

leafy211

i dont have easement rights over that piece of land and Im 99.9999% sure the neighbour doesnt either.  But they wouldnt have rights to claim the land either.  So how do i go about complaining to somebody that the land they have bricked up isnt there land?

Section62

leafy211 said:

I dont believe they have purchased the land, as still showing as unadopted with land registry (i assume they are planning on claiming adverse possession at some point .. they moved in Oct 2020). 

If the land hadn't been enclosed and other people were using it for access/turning, then the new owners would never have a viable AP claim on the land.

But if the land has always been owned as part of that property then AP wouldn't be relevant in any case.

user1977

leafy211 said:

i dont have easement rights over that piece of land and Im 99.9999% sure the neighbour doesnt either.  But they wouldnt have rights to claim the land either.  So how do i go about complaining to somebody that the land they have bricked up isnt there land?

Whose land is it then? They're the ones who have the right to complain. You only have curtain-twitching rights

daveyjp

Only the "landowner" can take action and that could include anyone with a right to access, cross etc etc.

leafy211

i have just checked title plan of the other property - it does not include the road/track in question

p00hsticks

leafy211 said:

 I dont believe they have purchased the land, as still showing as unadopted with land registry (i assume they are planning on claiming adverse possession at some point .. they moved in Oct 2020). 

You are conflating two terms.

'Unadopted' means that the local council does not accept responsibility for the maintenance of the road. 

The land registry, as the name suggests, shows who is registered as having title to the land.  

If land is 'unregistered', then it doesn't mean that no-one owns it, but just that the title hasn't been registered.

You really need to try to establish who owns (i.e. who possesses the deeds) to the land - although I suspect that that will be easier said than done.