www.gov.uk/defra Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006: Guidance to commons registration authorities and the Planning Inspectorate December 2014 © Crown copyright 2008 - 2014 You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] This document/publication is also available on our website at: www.gov.uk/common-land-management-protection-and-registering-to-use#commons- registration Any enquiries regarding this document/publication should be sent to us at: [email protected] PB 13659 Version 2.0 December 2014 Version 2.0 1 : Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Scope of this guidance ........................................................................................ 1 Pioneer authorities ........................................................................................................ 1 2014 authorities ............................................................................................................ 2 1965 authorities ............................................................................................................ 2 1.2 The problem with the registers ............................................................................ 4 1.3 Part 1 of the 2006 Act ........................................................................................... 5 2 : The registers ............................................................................................................. 7 2.1 The registers ......................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Exempted land ...................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Straddling agreements ......................................................................................... 8 2.4 Agency agreements .............................................................................................. 9 2.5 Provisional registrations ...................................................................................... 9 2.6 Form of the registers ............................................................................................ 9 The general part ......................................................................................................... 10 The land section ......................................................................................................... 10 The rights section ....................................................................................................... 11 Register maps ............................................................................................................ 11 Supplemental maps .................................................................................................... 12 Power to supplement entries ...................................................................................... 13 The ownership section ................................................................................................ 13 Conclusiveness of ownership section ......................................................................... 13 Vesting of ownership in local authority ........................................................................ 13 Version 2.0 First registration in the register of title ......................................................................... 14 Removal of ownership section from the registers ....................................................... 15 2.7 Declarations of entitlement to exercise rights of common ............................. 15 Background ................................................................................................................ 15 Procedure ................................................................................................................... 16 Difference between a declaration and apportionment ................................................. 17 FAQs .......................................................................................................................... 18 2.8 Copies and inspection of the registers ............................................................. 18 Dissemination of information ...................................................................................... 18 Inspection and making copies .................................................................................... 19 Withholding information .............................................................................................. 20 Providing copies ......................................................................................................... 20 2.9 Searches .............................................................................................................. 21 3 : Preparing for commencement — working with stakeholders ............................ 22 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 22 3.2 Preparing for implementation of Part 1 ............................................................ 22 3.3 Publicising Part 1 ................................................................................................ 24 4 : The transitional period under Schedule 3 ............................................................ 27 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 27 4.2 Responsibility to act during the transitional period ........................................ 27 4.3 Duration of the transitional period .................................................................... 28 Applications submitted during the transitional application period ................................ 28 Applications submitted after the transitional application period but during the transitional period ....................................................................................................... 28 Applications submitted after the transitional period .................................................... 29 Version 2.0 4.4 Reviews conducted by registration authorities ............................................... 29 Publicising the review ................................................................................................. 29 Researching evidence for amendments to the registers ............................................. 30 Sources of data .......................................................................................................... 31 5 : Dealing with applications and proposals ............................................................. 35 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 35 5.2 Transitional arrangements ................................................................................. 35 Section 13(a) of the 1965 Act ..................................................................................... 35 Section 13(b) of the 1965 Act ..................................................................................... 35 Section 13(c) of the 1965 Act ..................................................................................... 36 Section 15 and the 2007 Interim Arrangements Regulations ...................................... 37 Section 14(b) of the 1965 Act ..................................................................................... 37 Finality of registrations ................................................................................................ 37 Registration of person as owner of land ..................................................................... 38 5.3 Fees ..................................................................................................................... 38 5.4 Discharge and delegation of functions by local authorities ........................... 39 5.5 Site visits and powers of entry .......................................................................... 40 5.6 Electronic communications ............................................................................... 41 5.7 Applications from unincorporated bodies........................................................ 42 5.8 Church Commissioners ..................................................................................... 42 5.9 Stamp Duty Land Tax ......................................................................................... 42 5.10 ‘Applications’ not duly made ............................................................................. 43 5.11 Management of an application .......................................................................... 44 Forms ......................................................................................................................... 44 Fees ............................................................................................................................ 46 Version 2.0 Initial checks ............................................................................................................... 46 Acknowledgement .....................................................................................................