Land beside my house

MrLogical

Hi there, I have a new build with a small bit of land beside it that I only partially own. It’s the last home on the street and this bit of land is really only visible to me and my neighbour across the street who we are friends with.

The developer will not sell it to me even though there are no shared services and the management company always neglect it leaving it up to me to either let it get unsightly or look after it myself.

What can I do about this please? I’d love to just join it to my garden, but I know if I put up a fence, they may force me to take it down? However unlikely, I don’t want to throw money away over this.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanking you in advance.

canaldumidi

Your options are

*  to keep increasing your offer untill the developer cannot resist the money you are prepared to pay

* fence it in and treat it as your own for 10 years- then apply for averse possession (whch the developer may well object to)

* accept that it's not yours and kick up a fuss every 3 months with the management company

* accept that it's not yours and maintain it yourself so that at least it is tidy

Merlin139

We have exactly the same problem a piece of land that is about 10 square meters that the developer would not sell and did not bother to look after. The estate has now been adopted and the council won't touch it as its got no grass on it. Its been there 20 years now. I did think about turning it into a vegetable patch allotment.

We got round the problem of seeing it by planting a hedge formed of conifers that have now grown and we keep them topped off at about 10 feet.

Planning permission has been granted for 500 odd house in the field behind us and eventually the small 30 meter road outside my house will become a main entry to the new estate. I guess that it will eventually be sorted, but we will wait and see!

Martin_the_Unjust

Wait a couple of years and then slowly do a bit of ‘gorilla’ planting till there is a hedge along the outside edge.

Section62

MrLogical said:

The developer will not sell it to me even though there are no shared services and the management company always neglect it leaving it up to me to either let it get unsightly or look after it myself.

There doesn't have to be services in the land currently for the developer to want to keep the land.  They may have plans for the land, or have been asked to retain it so services can be laid in it in the future.  They won't be retaining it just for the fun of it, there will be a reason.

Have you checked the planning drawings to see what - if anything - this land was supposed to be used for?

MrLogical

Thank you all for your replies. I have checked planning documentation and there is no intention to use it for anything. The developer told us we can plant things in there but not to hedge/fence it off. The management company were in again today and didn’t touch it. It can’t really be used for anything and they had actually told us that perhaps it should have been ours but it’s too late now. 

I think I will just take ownership over time without over investing in it.

Any further thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

user1977

It doesn't potentially open up access to an adjoining plot of land? Might help if we could see the layout.

canaldumidi

MrLogical said:

I think I will just take ownership over time without over investing in it.

Let us know how you get on.

Ditzy_Mitzy

Martin_the_Unjust said:

Wait a couple of years and then slowly do a bit of ‘gorilla’ planting till there is a hedge along the outside edge.

Surely the developers wouldn't put up with that sort of monkey business...

Oh and OP, buy a speedboat and trailer and park the set on the land.  

Martin_the_Unjust

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Martin_the_Unjust said:

Wait a couple of years and then slowly do a bit of ‘gorilla’ planting till there is a hedge along the outside edge.

Surely the developers wouldn't put up with that sort of monkey business...

Oh and OP, buy a speedboat and trailer and park the set on the land.  

I suspect the developers will have moved n and have no knowledge/interest in a few years.

Skiddaw1

I'm with Martin. If anyone objects the OP can always unplant.