Plans by the government to give the public free access for the first time to information on who owns England\u2019s land are at risk of being scuppered by landowners, campaigners have said.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday the government set out its proposals to lift the paywall on the Land Registry, arguing that opening it<\/a> would help the UK build more houses, protect nature and improve strategic planning. The plans will be open to public consultation for eight weeks.<\/p>\n The Guardian has previously revealed that there are internal rifts between the government and the Land Registry<\/a> \u2013 an \u201carm\u2019s length body\u201d that comes under the oversight of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government but acts largely independently \u2013 over how far to open it to scrutiny.<\/p>\n Guy Shrubsole, author of Who Owns England?, urged people to get involved. \u201cThe government has put forward a bold but sensible proposal to open up the Land Registry and reveal who owns the vast majority of land in England and Wales<\/a> \u2013 a question that goes back to the Domesday Book and has always been entwined with wealth and power,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the country\u2019s biggest landowners may still try to scupper these plans at the last hurdle. It\u2019s up to us peasants to stage the most gentle of revolts, by submitting our views to this public consultation.\u201d<\/p>\n The proposals would for the first time allow public sector bodies, including government departments and local authorities, to access the information free of charge<\/a>. This should make it easier for councils to identify sites for new homes, schools, hospitals, environmental assets, water infrastructure and public transport.<\/p>\n A new free public dataset would identify the owners of significant land-holdings, covering the vast majority of land in England and Wales, but excluding ordinary homeowners. More sensitive information might also be available to investigators, civil society groups and regulators who can demonstrate a clear public interest.<\/p>\n