Council land and premises

Local authority land and premises

We publish details of all our land and building assets.

• All service and office properties occupied or controlled by user bodies, both freehold and leasehold
• Any properties occupied or run under Private Finance Initiative contracts
• All other properties they own or use, for example, hostels, laboratories, investment properties and depots
• Garages unless rented as part of a housing tenancy agreement
• Surplus, sublet or vacant properties
• Undeveloped land
• Serviced or temporary offices where contractual or actual occupation exceeds three months
• All future commitments, for example under an agreement for lease, from when the contractual commitment is made.

Information excluded from publication for Local authority land:

• Rent free properties provided by traders (such as information booths in public places or ports)
• Operational railways and canals
• Operational public highways (but any adjoining land not subject to public rights should be included)
• Assets of national security
• Information deemed inappropriate for public access as a result of data protection and/or disclosure controls (e.g. such as refuge houses).
• Information on social housing is also excluded from this specific dataset

We also provide the following information on each land or building asset:

• its unique property reference number
• the unique identity that we use for the asset
• the name of the building or land
• street number or numbers
• street name
• postal town name
• postcode
• easting and northing
• whether we own the freehold or a lease
• additional information about the freehold or lease
• whether the asset is land or one or more building or both
• the full address

How can I find out who owns a property?

The Land Registry online enquiry service can provide details of who owns a property. If the land is subject to development proposals you can look at recent planning applications.

Leasehold and freehold

Useful information about leasehold extension can be obtained from the Leasehold Advisory Service. This includes information on buying the freehold through collective enfranchisement.

It is recommended that you get independent legal advice before proceeding. There will also be a further cost dependent upon the valuation of the property in question. Our surveyors and legal fees may also be payable.

Fences and boundary walls

We can advise on council owned properties or a property adjoining a council-owned site. For fences between private properties you should examine your title deeds or contact the Land Registry.

Fees

For large scale or multiple property enquiries an administrative charge may be applied. 

Useful websites