Land Searches

The Local Land Charges Register has been migrated to HM Land Registry and you will be able to access the new digital service through your portal account, business gateway and on the HM Land Registry pages on GOV.UK.
 
A Local Land Charge is a restriction on a property or piece of land which may limit its use, detail any land designations, any listed building status or any conditional planning consents. A search of the local land charges register is very simply a way of telling whether there have been any planning decisions or other obligations attached to a piece of land or property and is usually requested when a property is about to change hands. It is this aspect of the search that will now need to be made with Land Registry.
 
The Council of the Isles of Scilly continues to provide replies to Con29 searches however the water and drainage on the islands is now the responsibility of South West Water. Visit https://www.sourceforsearches.co.uk/ to request a search or they can be contacted on searches@southwestwater.co.uk  
 
To request a CON29 land search, please e-mail planning@scilly.gov.uk or post your application to us at the address below (the search will be classed as received once payment has been confirmed). Searches can be returned in hardcopy by post or e-mailed on request (searches requested via email will be returned by the same method). Telephone enquiries can be made by phoning: 0300 1234 105
 
A more general search asking enquiries of the Local Authority can also be carried out to reveal other answers to things around planning history, land designations, highways maintenance and any outstanding notices against the property or land. On the Isles of Scilly all searches are done in one department because we are a very small unitary authority.
 

What does a search consist of?

The legal forms of enquiry for the basic search are the LLC1 and CON29R. The LLC1 (which needs to be made with Land Registry) requests a search of the Local Land Charge Register to show any restrictions upon that property or land. The CON29R asks questions about past and proposed development of a property and the surrounding area. A CON29O can ask additional optional questions around things like public paths and byways, advertisements, common land etc. 

How long do they take?

A search can usually be completed within 6 working days, depending on how many questions have been asked and how much information there is related to it.

FEES

The charges are below.
 
  2023/24 (inc VAT)                  2024/2025 (inc VAT)          
 
  From 1st April 2023 From 1st April 2024
LLC1 (please obtain search from Land Registry)
  See LR website See LR website
CON29R
  £149.83 £155.08
CON29O - Optional Enquiries
  £18.22 £18.85
Additional Solicitors Questions
  £27.49 £28.45
Additional parcel of land/garage etc (CON29 only) *for land directly associated with primary search property/land)
  £20.50 £20.50
Standard Water & Drainage Enquiries (CON29DW)
  email searches@southwestwater.co.uk   email searches@southwestwater.co.uk 
 
***Please note that in line with legislation, all the above fees include VAT.
 
See our document explaining how Payments can be made to the Council in relation to applications. If submitting electronically please note that delays in payments (posting cheques for example) can delay the response time for your search. 

Requesting a Search

A request for a land search should include the following:
  • A copy of each of the appropriate forms
  • A copy of an extract from an Ordnance Survey based plan with the extent of the property clearly outlined in red (if the property is part of building i.e. a flat or shop, please indicate which floor(s) it occupies and enclose a floor plan)
  • The correct fee. See our document explaining how Payments can be made to the Council in relation to applications.

Local Land Charges Search

To make a search of the Local Land Charges Register please visit the Land Registry website.

Personal Searches

It is possible to visit the offices to carry out searches in person free of charge. If you wish to do so, please contact us in advance with details of the land to be searched so that we can prepare the relevant files and history for you. Charges for hard copies of documents apply as detailed below. 
 
If requesting a 'personal search' by email, please note that these can take up to 28 days to process the results.

Copy Documents

Copies of Planning Decisions and documents revealed in the Local Land Charge search are available from the Planning Department. Fees for hard copies are in line with the Councils photocopying charges or they are available free of charge in an electronic format.

Electronic Submission

Searches are accepted by email and online through NLIS online and via TM Property Searches