How to find out who owns a scruffy bit of land?

Eliza_2

Hi all. A friend wants to buy a bit of land - mostly grassed/weeds) that is between her garden wall and the highway.  It isn't on her deeds or her neighbour's (we've checked on Land Registry) so we wondered how to find out who it belongs to.  Asking around has discovered nothing, other than guesses it could belong to the local authority (who say not) or just 'nobody'.  At the moment people park on it, or it's a dumping ground and scruffy, if she can absorb it into her garden she can keep it nice.

Can anyone suggest any ideas?

Thanks - Liz

theartfullodger

Fence it etc for 12 years then try adverse possession 

Hoenir

Be the local authority.  If you don't want people parking on it. Plant some large bushes. 

user1977

Possibly still owned by whoever developed the land?

Albermarle

Is there not a pavement, or even just a path of some sort, between the garden wall and the road?

maman

Hoenir said:

If you don't want people parking on it. Plant some large bushes. 

That's what they did outside our local school to stop lazy parking churning up the ground. It worked! 😊

daveyjp

Either local authority or original developer.  Fence it off, place blocks etc and see if anyone comes along asking you to remove them.  If they do they will need to prove they own it.

p00hsticks

As others have said, probably a 'ransom strip' retained by the developer or authority when the houses were built, possibly with utilities running underneath.  

RHemmings

p00hsticks said:

As others have said, probably a 'ransom strip' retained by the developer or authority when the houses were built, possibly with utilities running underneath.  

I wasn't aware of the term 'ransom strip', but looked it up here: https://blanchardsbailey.co.uk/insights/what-is-a-ransom-strip-and-why-are-they-important 

That may affect the motivation of the owner to sell it. 

Section62

Eliza_2 said:

Hi all. A friend wants to buy a bit of land - mostly grassed/weeds) that is between her garden wall and the highway.  It isn't on her deeds or her neighbour's (we've checked on Land Registry) so we wondered how to find out who it belongs to.  Asking around has discovered nothing, other than guesses it could belong to the local authority (who say not) or just 'nobody'.  At the moment people park on it, or it's a dumping ground and scruffy, if she can absorb it into her garden she can keep it nice.

Can anyone suggest any ideas?

When was the house built?  Is it part of a development/estate?

Local authority land is often unregistered, and depending who you ask their initial response is likely to deny ownership (and hence responsibility for maintaining it), but will change their tune if someone else tries to do something with it.

Eliza_2

Thank you - the house and others around are at least 200 yrs old, if not more though reading about the ransom strip was interesting.  I don't suppose  access to utilities was an idea conceived back then.  However maybe going back to the local authority might work and pressing them a bit.  I wish it was possible to have access to whatever sources they use as at the moment she just has to take their word.  Thanks everyone.