Buying land - process? pitfalls? etc

[loudpup]

I'm looking into the possibility of buying small area of common land (up to 200 sq metres) adjacent to my property with the view to building a garage and increasing garden size.

The land in question mainly grass (currenly maintained by local council) however there is a concrete 'slab' approx 2m x 5m which was the base of a building that housed an oil tank for oil central heading in houses in the local area. The building itself has since been demolished leaving only the concrete base.

I've managed to acquire utility plans for the local area and it would appear that there is underground power cables running from a sub station through part of the land in question.

I have also located who I think are the current owners of the land who would be 'willing to offer me the land at £x per m2 without warranty'.

My question is, where do I go from here?

I obviously want to ensure the land doesn't hold any problems e.g. due to the previous oil central heating building, the power cables etc but struggling with who can advise me on this and how I go about purchasing the land?

Any tips, advise, information would be much appreciated.

 

[jeds]

You should consult a solicitor to have the land properly searched. Pieces of land like this can sometimes come with responsibilities and commitments you may not necessarily want. Also you should be certain that the land can be brought within your domestic curtilage. Without that it is unlikely you would get planning permission for anything domestic on it - such as a garage.

 

[big-all]

have you checked that you are allowed to build what you want on the land first!!!

whats was there before dosnt nessiserily mean you can build on the land

 

[Richard C]

Surely if it's common land, you won't have exclusive rights of use & I can't imagine you would be able to build anything on it

 

[loudpup]

Thanks for replies so far.

When I say 'common land', from the research I've done so far (land registry search) the land still appears to be owned by the developer that built the houses in the area. It is a grassy area and the council cut the grass to keep it orderly. It is used by the local community (mostly kids playing footy) and dog walkers. I'm only interested in a small part which is not used (apart from as a dogs toilet!). It is the developer that I have contacted and who has advised they would be willing to sell a section (within reason) to accommodate my plans i.e. garage & extra garden.

The steer I've been given from the local council is that I would need to submit an application to them to convert the acquired area to residental land however I would not need planning permission to relocate a garage. I will however be contacting them again on this as I'd like a slightly bigger garage than what I currently have.

Initial contact was made with solicitor today and I'll be speaking with them over the next few days to discuss further.