Scandal of who owns all our land

NINETY per cent of land ownership in England and Wales is hidden, according to campaigners trying to find sites for new affordable housing projects.

The project, called Who Owns England, has only been provided with 10 per cent of data after contacting the Government and other major landowners.

It reveals the Crown Estate holds more than 650,000 acres, The Ministry of Defence 1.1million and vast swathes of Central London are in the hands of offshore firms.

However, it is estimated there are around £7billion worth of plots owned by councils that could be sold off to self-build groups.

But campaigners say holes in Land Registry records – and the high cost of researching ownership – often means big developers can sit on plots until they soar in value, known as “land banking”.

Richard Harries, director of the Power to Change Research Institute, said: “We know people, fed up with waiting for Government, want to take the lead, plan and build local homes themselves.” A TERRAPIN which crossed two busy lanes of traffic to a roundabout ended up being rescued by police officers in Portsmouth, Hants.