Unregistered land and trees

[toptec]

Evening Y'all

At the bottom of my garden lies a 6m strip of land between my property and the car park of a small factory. In wet weather a brook runs in the bottom of it.

There are a number of large beech (About 100 foot high) and elm trees in this strip, one large beech in particular has huge braches overhanging my garden by about 25 feet or so. In short this tree and a number of others need trimming but it's a big job. (Been quoted 2K by a proper firm)

According to Land Registry the strip is Unregistered land. I have a 1970's letter from the factory stating they do not own it. I don't want it either.

Do I have any options other than ignore it or bite the bullet and fork out a tub of cash?

I have checked Garden law but they have no recorded advice. I thought one of you guys might have a suggestion before I join and post on there.

 

[Thermo]

why dont you want it, surely it will only add to the value of the property? Sounds like youre going to have to shell out for some work on it anyway

 

[toptec]

I don't want it cause I reckon that the site manager of the factory is just waiting for someone to adopt it and the rest of the strip that borders the factory in adjacent gardens so that they will have pay for the loping of all the trees and bushes that border their fence as well.

There has been a history of complaints between the residential side and the factory side - noise, smells the dumping of Offal in the local stream that sort of thing.!!!!

I wasn't aware of this until after we moved in of course.

 

[ColJack]

nice neighbours..
if they dump offal then get the council on to them and get their license revoked.. they can't really deny it was them and they have the legal obligation to dispose of their waste properly..

if you stick a fence round it, it's yours after so many years..
extra land should add to the value of your property..
do you really need a trained arbourist to take it down? can't you get up there with a bow saw and a rope?

 

[furrydice]

Even if you decided to try and claim the land via adverse possession it would take 12 years to conclude. Have you considered using a company to find the owner of unregistered land?

i used http://www.findermonkey.co.uk

or you could give these a miss and see if the title plan for the factory reveals any clues, they might of passed the book in the 70's but that does not mean they don't own it.

Hope this helps

 

[toptec]

nice neighbours..
if they dump offal then get the council on to them and get their license revoked.. they can't really deny it was them and they have the legal obligation to dispose of their waste properly..

Apparently it was reported. They were fined and forced to build some sort of waste storage/runoff which is monitored by EH.

do you really need a trained arbourist to take it down? can't you get up there with a bow saw and a rope?

Nah, Too High, to much waste and I want to live until at least 65
I reckon 50 metres of Cordex would do it nicely!!

Thanks for the link furrydice - I might well do that. I had thought Unregistered land is Unowned land..... Clearly not. I must look into obtaining copies of the factories land deeds. The Company is just sly enough to deny ownership.

Thanks to all.

 

[Deluks]

I don't want it cause I reckon that the site manager of the factory is just waiting for someone to adopt it and the rest of the strip that borders the factory in adjacent gardens so that they will have pay for the loping of all the trees and bushes that border their fence as well.

Maybe they don't realise that they can legally chop anything that hangs over their boundary. Let them keep thinking that, and if you can acquire the land for yourself then do so. Fence it off and do the trees as and when able.
Ask the tree guys to split the quote into low medium and high priority and get them back every six months or so until the work's complete, to spread the expense.
You will likely save on the quote if you request that they leave the waste on site. Or at least the larger logs, which once seasoned you may be able to sell as firewood just in time for next winter.

 

[ColJack]

if it's fairly straight and a decent size, couldn't you sell the logs to a timber yard? or even advertise the trees as free timber, you want it, you cut it down..? someone will have it.. nice timber for free?