Village greens and common land

Request a copy of the village green or common land register, or apply to register a new village green

As the commons registration authority, we maintain the register of common land and village greens in Essex. The register lists information about each common land or village green 'unit' including:

  • a description of the land and its boundaries
  • who has rights to use it and what these rights are
  • who owns it – or who owned it when it was first registered

Apply for a copy of the register

We can provide a copy of the register for a particular village green or common land unit for a fee of £25. However, we require the unit number to process the request.

If the unit number is not known, you should contact your local borough or district council and ask for their Land Charges department to find out how to make an appropriate search. They will advise on the forms and fees required. Common Land and Town and Village Green searches are dealt with under Con29 Question 22 (Optional Enquiries of the Local Authority).

To request a copy of the register, please contact us using the details below. The fee of £25 should be paid by cheque. Cheques should be made out to Essex County Council.

 

Contact the Environmental Law and Property Team

Telephone: 0333 013 2305

Email: Environmental.TeamDuty@essex.gov.uk

Address:

Essex Legal Services Seax House Victoria Road South Chelmsford CM1 1QH

View the register in person

If you’d like to check the register of common land and village greens in person, you can make an appointment with us to do so. This is free of charge and can be done between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. Please request an appointment using the Environmental Law and Property Team contact details above.

Amend the register

You can apply to amend the register of common land and village greens. Depending on the amendment, a fee may be charged.

To find out how to apply, see the government's Common land: guidance for commons registration authorities and applicants. This includes guidance for members of the public wishing to apply to make changes.

Fees

Purpose of application Application fee Provision the application is made under
Removing or transferring common land and town or village green to other land given in exchange as a result of a statutory disposition (relating to section 14 of the 2006 Act) £300 Schedule 4, paragraph 8
Change the area of common land or a town or village green if a water body changes it £200 Section 19 (e) of the 2006 Act
Deregister "other land" wrongly registered as common land or as a town or village green £1,000 Schedule 2, paragraph 7 and 9
Statutory disposition, including the exchange of land for land subject to a statutory disposition £360 Schedule 3, paragraph 2 or 4, to the 2006 Act

Fees should accompany your application.

Where applications are referred to The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), DEFRA will charge an additional fee.

Register a village green

See the government's guidance on how to apply to register a village green.

Public notices

Address of land Summary of notice Provision the application is made under Application reference  Closing date for objections
Chipping Hill Green, Witham  common land 163 (PDF, 338.15 KB) application to deregister land registered as common land commons act 2007 - schedule 2, paragraph 7 CA01 10 March 2024

 

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