What is a Local Land Charge Search?

A local land charge is a restriction or prohibition on a parcel/parcels of land and is binding on successive owners/occupiers of the land. ie. Tree Preservation Orders, Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas, Financial Charges.

Who submits a local search?

Search requests are typically received from solicitors or conveyancers acting for either a vendor.

Local Search Forms

When a search is submitted it can be submitted by post or electronically via NLIS.

• LLCI - Official Certificate of Search - All registrable local land charges including for example conditional planning charges, S106 Agreements and Listed Buildings .
• CON29R - Enquiries of Local Authority - Including road schemes, planning history, building regulations and approvals, contaminated land.
• CON29R - Component Data Costs - (PDF 38 KB)
• CON29O - Optional enquiries of Local Authority for example Public paths and byways, noise abatement, common land and village greens.

Please remember to send all forms in duplicate and enclose 2 copies of a Land Registry plan with the area outlined in red. If the fee is incorrect the search request will be returned.

Statement in Accordance with Regulation 9 The Local Authorities (England) (Charges for Property Searches) Regulations 2008.

• Land Charges Statement - PDF, 26 KB
• CON29R - Component Data Costs - PDF 38 KB

Can I have the local land search procedure explained to me?

A local land-charge search is necessary when someone is buying or re-mortgaging property or land in the Stroud District.

The search process: Your solicitor should send us your application for a search including a map of the property or land you want to buy. We will then reveal any Local Land Charges registrations for the search. Searches may show for example conservation areas, improvement or renovation grants, planning applications, building regulations, enforcement notices and highway agreements.

Can you tell me which Water Authority covers the Stroud District area?

Severn Trent and Wessex Water

Severn Trent Ltd
Severn Trent Searches
PO 6187
Nottingham
NG5 1LE

Tel: 0115 9627269
Website: www.severntrent.co.uk

Wessex Water Operations Centre
Claverton Down Road
Bath
BA1 7WW

Tel: 01225 526206
Website: www.wessexwater.co.uk

Can I see planning applications concerning my house?

Yes, you can view planning applications at our offices at Ebley Mill. For more information please contact Development Control on 01453 754442, or email planning@stroud.gov.uk.

Who deals with questions relating to landfill sites?

Please contact the Environment Agency

The Environmental Agency
Customer Services
Riversmeet House
Newtown Industrial Estate
Northway Lane
Tewkesbury

Tel: 01684 850951

Who deals with questions relating to flooding?

Please contact the Environment Agency

The Environment Agency
Customer Services
Riversmeet House
Newtown Industrial Estate
Northway Lane
Tewkesbury

Tel: 01684 850951

Can you tell me who owns a specific piece of land?

Please contact the land registry

Land Registry
Twyver House
Bruton Way
Gloucester
GL1 1DQ

Tel: 01452 511111

Will I be charged for extra 'parcels' submitted with my search?

A parcel of land means a piece of land in separate occupation or separately rated at the time of the requisition of search - Garners Local Land Charges 13th Edition.

If a search is submitted with two or more parcels and each parcel has separate council tax or rates and the parcels have a common boundary or are separated by a river or a road then a fee will be charged for each extra parcel.

The naming and numbering of streets and buildings within the Stroud District is a statutory function that Stroud District Council provides in exercise of its powers and duties under the Public Health Act 1925 (for street naming) and The Town Improvement Clauses Act 1847 (for building numbering).

The appropriate naming of streets and naming and numbering of buildings forms the basis for identifying property related information which is used by:

• Royal Mail and other services for delivery of post and goods
• The ambulance, police and fire services for responses to emergencies
• Statutory organisations e.g. the Council, HM Land Registry and HM Revenue & Customs

In addition to the traditional method of addressing a property the Government has introduced a British Standard (BS7666) for the precise identification of a property or plot of land. Each property has been allocated a 12 digit Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). This permits additional information such as co-ordinates to be accessed allowing the property to be located on a map.

Stroud along with all the other local or unitary authorities has created and maintains a Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) to the above standard. Updates to this information are submitted daily to the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) which is marketed commercially. This precise location information is then used internally to aid the provision of the Councils statutory functions and externally by the likes of Royal Mail, the Emergency Services and Utility Companies. In recognition of the quality and completeness of our LLPG data, in November 2011 we gained the following award.

As part of the process the location and naming of new streets is an essential starting point. Whilst this is strictly a District Council function any new streets are notified to Gloucestershire County Council who hold the Local Street Gazetteer (LSG), which is essential for their highway management responsibilities, and they in turn use it to update the National Street Gazetteer (NSG).

It should be noted that the LLPG provides geographic location information for all properties in the district and whilst most addresses are the same as those held by the Royal Mail for postal delivery services there will be some incidences of variation in address format between that held by Royal Mail and within the Council’s LLPG.

Applications should be made by:

• Individuals or developers building new dwellings,
• commercial or industrial premises Individuals or developers undertaking conversions of existing residential, commercial or industrial premises which will result in the creation of new separately addressed units

Developers who use a marketing name for a site must make it clear to any prospective purchasers, that it is not part of an official postal address.

Applications for new addresses should be submitted as soon as work commences. In the case of new street names this is essential as the time from receiving a proposed name until it is formally adopted can take several months.

On developments requiring new street names the developer may put forward a naming proposal or the Council will request that the relevant Parish or Town Council provide a suitable name. If the developer has suggested a street name the Parish or Town Council can either accept the proposed name or suggest an alternative. The Council does not consult where the application is solely for the numbering or naming of a single building.

• The charge to the developer for naming a new street is £100.00
  The charge to the developer per property for registration of official postal addresses is:
• 1-5 £30.00 each
• 6-25 £25.00 each
• 26+ £20 each

Cheques should be made payable to Stroud District Council All requests should be made in writing.

• Application For A New Postal Address (PDF 44 KB)

Occasionally residents of the District report that their property is not shown on established postcode listings. The Council will report the omission to Royal Mail so that the address of the property can be entered into the Postcode Address File.

• The charge for this service is £30.00
• Cheques should be made payable to Stroud District Council
• Download and return the form shown here: Application For A Postal Address For An Existing Property (PDF 321 KB)

When a new development is built, the responsibility for naming the new streets rests with the Council. The new names should be consistent with the Council's protocols for road naming, namely:

• When possible, the name(s) should have a proven historical connection to the land intended for development.
• The name(s) will not be the name(s) of people unless there is a historical connection to the town or parish within which the development falls.
• The name(s) will not be the same or similar to any existing name(s) in the area.
• If the development contains a new network of streets a theme may be chosen, taking care not to repeat a theme already being used locally.
• Aesthetically unsuitable names or names capable of deliberate misinterpretation are to be avoided.
• Street names should not be difficult to pronounce or awkward to spell.

New street names should end with one of the following suffixes

A venue | B ank | C ircle - For circular roads only | C lose - Only for a cul-de-sac | C orner | C rescent - For crescent shaped roads only | C roft | D rive | E dge | F arm | F ield(s) | G ardens (provided it will not be confused with any local open space) | G reen | G rove | H ill | L ane | M ead | M eadow | M ews | O rchard | P addock | P ark | P lace | R ise | R oad | R ow | S quare - For a Square | S treet | T riangle - For triangular roads only | V iew | W ay | W harf - Only near a navigable watercourse | Y ard

Pedestrian only access thoroughfares should end with: W alk | P ath | W ay

Please note

• No street name should start with "The"
• "Court" is not acceptable as a street name suffix but may be used for large multi-occupied buildings
• "Terrace" should only be used as a subsidiary name within another road

On receipt of a proposed new street or building name, the Council's Street Naming and Numbering Officer will check that it will not duplicate existing names, and is in accordance with the naming protocols and conventions, shown above.

When numbering new buildings (including residential properties and commercial units) the following conventions will be followed:

Where practicable a new street should be numbered with the odd numbers on the left and the even numbers on the right from the entrance of the street. In the case of a cul-de-sac, consecutive numbering in a clockwise direction is preferred. All numbers should be used in the proper sequence (including 13). However, should a request be made for the exclusion of 13 this may be allowed, after consultation. Where an existing street is extended, it would be appropriate to continue to use the same street name. This would include the continuation of the street numbering. Buildings will be numbered according to the street in which the main entrance is to be found. If a building has entrances on more than one street, is a multi-occupied building and each entrance leads to a separate occupier, then each entrance should be numbered in the appropriate road. Where a building with an already approved number is subdivided then the use of letters or numbers to indicate the separate elements is acceptable. Infill properties will be numbered into the existing street using an alphabet suffix unless there are exceptional circumstances.

There is no statutory requirement to register a house name in association with a numbered property and therefore the Council will not process requests of this nature. However, where a numbering scheme is in place a house name can only be in addition to the allocated property number and not a replacement. Please note that the original number should always be displayed on the property and quoted within an address on all correspondence. Please also note that house names used with numbered properties will form no part of the officially registered postal address as held within Royal Mails Postcode Address File.

If you are intending to rename an existing named property, it is advisable that you contact the Council to check whether your preferred name is already in use in the immediate area. If there is the possibility of confusion or the name chosen is deemed to be inappropriate you will be requested to select another name. We will not accept house names that are the words for numbers eg. Nine.

If this process is not undertaken the official address of the property will not be revised. Royal Mail will only amend their Post code Address File with information provided by the Council.

• The charge for this service is £30.00
• Cheques should be made payable to Stroud District Council
• Download and return the form shown here: House Name Change Form (PDF 323 KB)

The Council is responsible for establishing property addresses up to and including the town or village name. The allocation of postcodes is the responsibility of Royal Mail. In creating and establishing new addresses the Council will liaise with Royal Mail's Address Development Team to provide a suitable postcode.

When a new address, including the postcode, has been created, it will potentially be held by Royal Mail in the Not Yet Built section of the Post code Address File. When Royal Mail are satisfied that the property is complete and is in a state to be occupied, they should make the address live on the Postcode Address File. If you are occupying a new build property and the address is not shown against established postcode listings you should contact Royal Mail directly on 08456 011 110 option 3, option 1.

Once an address has been created or amended we distribute this information to a variety of organisations. These include:

Internally: Council Tax, Elections, Refuse and Recycling
Externally: Royal Mail, Land Registry, Gloucestershire County Council, The Emergency Services, Utility Companies

With effect from 6 April 2011. The fees for Street Naming and Numbering functions are shown below: