Land Registry to accelerate Local Land Charges programme
The Land Registry has committed to accelerating the Local Land Charges (LLC) programme, which is aimed at standardising and migrating LLC data away from local authorities onto one central register.
Writing in a letter to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook, Neil Sachdev, Chair of HM Land Registry Board, said the arm's-length body is also working towards a fully digital land register as part of an effort to help boost housebuilding and support the Government's goal of building 1.5 million new homes in this parliament
The Land Registry plans to finish work on the LLC by the end of 2025 and says the programme will help support the UK property market and make the housing market more efficient.
Sachdev wrote: "The Local Land Charges (LLC) programme remains a flagship project, and we are actively exploring ways to accelerate delivery.
"We are particularly keen to apply our expertise to the broader property data landscape, including through the newly announced MHCLG pilot on local authority property data."
The body expects to digitise 36 local authorities' Local Land Charges data in the next financial year, and make improvements to property data, including working towards compiling data on ownership of unregistered land (currently 11% of all land in England and Wales), according to the letter.
The chair also offered to help identify land that has been acquired but remains undeveloped for extended periods to help the Government tackle those "slowing progress".
"This is a significant opportunity to reinforce accountability and ensure land is being used effectively to meet housing demand," Sachdev said.
The letter comes in response to correspondence from Pennycook that set out a list of goals the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government wished the body to prioritise.
These included digitalising the land register, helping the Government in its plans to reform the property market, and open up existing information and data on land, among other goals.
Adam Carey
