To think that my cheeky neighbour can't sell land he doesn't own (with diagram)

[PinnenStripen]

When the road was built, around 15 years ago, part of the planning permission was that a strip of land had to be left down the side of the road with a larger area at the end of the road as a wildlife refuge for a protected species. It is on all the plans of the road.

A fence runs down both sides of this strip of land, so it is clear where the boundary of the gardens is. At the end of the road, where there is a larger area of protected ground, there is a gate through to this area from the neighbours drive. Other neighbours used to check their garden cuttings into this area, so he put a padlock on the gate (or at least, that's why I assume he did...)

The larger area of protected land is adjacent to neighbours drive, house and garden.

The neighbour has now put his house up for sale and included in the particulars are this wildlife area, listed as an additional plot of land to the side. But HE DOESN'T OWN IT! It's a wildlife area and not his. You can't just randomly grab a piece of land, can you?

What can I do about it? I bet the other neighbours whose gardens also back onto this patch of land don't know about it and wouldn't agree to it.

I am so cross that he is trying to sell the wildlife area.

I think the padlock thing is confusing me! Is the padlock on your neighbour's gate (the one trying to sell the wildlife area) or does the gate belong to to the other neighbours (who dumped cuttings into the wildlife area)? If the padlocked gate is on the "selling" neighbour's property then it would appear that the only access to the wildlife area is through his drive, correct? So when he padlocked his gate no one could access the wildlife area. That makes more sense!

If it's great crested newt he's screwed you cant even shine a torch in there at night.

Not newts, sorry!

IF he claims to have bought this area of land, where would he have bought it from? And if it is, for instance, the council, then wouldn't neighbours have been informed at the time it was sold/bought? And wouldn't the sale show up as a sale on things like Nethouseprices- as don't they use the details from the Land registry of change of ownership of land?

Can pieces of 'public' land really be secretly bought up by people without letting anyone else know and, if it is for sale, giving them the option of buying it?

If he's bought it he will be the registered owner at the land registry.

Land registration is compulsory in this country and has been for years now.

There is no way around it.

But a purchase can happen without neighbours finding out. The vendor has no duty to inform anyone.

Contact the land registry they really are your starting point for everything. It's all well and good digging with the council etc...but it's best to go to the horses mouth.

Have found it all out and emailed you the title documents showing the owners of the woodland (and your road, lazy fucks ever gonna get it adopted?!).

Tell the developer what he's doing. Even better find out who acts for them (it'll be one of the big boys, eversheds, shoosmiths) and tell them.