Purchasing Land to Convert to Driveways

[adamguest]

Hi there

I wonder if you might be able to help.

I live in Hertford. The land in front of our house is a grass bank owned by Network Homes. Network Homes used to own and manage property on the street, but no longer do. However this small strip of land is still owned and maintained by them, without any benefit to them. I have attached the OS map of the street, with the land in question circled red.

My neighbours and I would like to acquire the land from them and convert it into driveways, using permeable surfaces and to allow us each to install electric vehicle charging points. This would also help ease the parking situation in the street, which is best described as busy!

Network Homes expressed an interest in this about 2 years ago and one of my neighbours had been given encouragement but the person she was speaking with has now gone quiet. 

I was wondering if you knew what our options were?

I appreciate any advice you can offer!

 

[Gus Potter]

Hello adam guest.

 

As you probably know that small strip is called a ransom strip.

 

You have a few options. Some are very risky.. like trying your just put your driveway over it, maintain it and after say ten years you can try and claim ownership .. but you'll need permission from the council too to create a new access to the public highway.

 

The other way is to say approach the strip owner again (Network) and say.. how much do you want. There are three home owners interested here so smelling the coffee it could be worth your while.. Network homes. It's not often you get say three home owners willing to stump up the cash.. all in agreement.. this may (Network) be the best offer you are going to get for the forseable future as if one sells on their house it could all go cold.

 

Then go the the council and say.. will you give us permission for a new / wider access to the highway?

 

They probably will sell to you for a negotiated price as it's "free money" to them which is why they may have created the ranson strip in the first place.

 

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by Gus Potter

[adamguest]

12 minutes ago, Gus Potter said:

Hello adam guest.

 

As you probably know that small strip is called a ransom strip.

 

You have a few options. Some are very risky.. like trying your just put your driveway over it, maintain it and after say ten years you can try and claim ownership .. but you'll need permission from the council too to create a new access to the public highway.

 

The other way is to say approach the strip owner again (Network) and say.. how much do you want. There are three home owners interested here so smelling the coffee it could be worth your while.. Network homes. It's not often you get say three home owners willing to stump up the cash.. all in agreement.. this may (Network) be the best offer you are going to get for the forseable future as if one sells on their house it could all go cold.

 

Then go the the council and say.. will you give us permission for a new / wider access to the highway?

 

They probably will sell to you for a negotiated price as it's "free money" to them which is why they may have created the ranson strip in the first place.

 

 

 

I appreciate your response. I had never heard of a ransom strip but just googled it!

 

I don’t think it counts as a ransom strip as we are still able to access our property from the highway. You may be able to see from the plan that there is a path that runs up from the road and to our front door. The green grass they own is beyond that. So we have no need whatsoever to cross that land to access our house.

 

A guy from Network Homes actually said about a year ago they’d be able to transfer the land to us as long as we paid their legal fees. But that guy is now not responding to emails or phone calls, so I have decided to bypass him and go direct.

 

Meanwhile I have also emailed Herts Highways to ascertain how likely permission would be. My neighbours apparently tried about 3 years ago and were told that it would be refused due to the street losing a green amenity. But with parking having got worse, and me wanting to push an EV charging point agenda, I’m hopeful we may get a better response next time.

 

But we need the land first. And its hard to get anybody to give advice until we have the land. And I don’t want to spend loads on the land if it then becomes a big grass plot and retaining wall I am responsible for maintaining but can’t put a drive over.

[Gus Potter]

Had not appreciated that the plan had an ammenity strip, my fault.

 

Time change though.. getting your hands on the land is the first step (at a sensible price).. then if you are able, bide your time and the current regime may change in your favour?.

[adamguest]

I’m also thinking that we could use something like these for the driveway surfacing. Would be hard for the council to say we are losing green space when we aren’t. 

 

https://ecogrid.co.uk/2015/07/03/go-green-building-an-environmentally-friendly-driveway/

 

Or

 

https://www.pavingdirect.com/grasspark-permeable-paving-grid?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4b2MBhD2ARIsAIrcB-Qm0O2jqwMxU9AxBVwqmsnIRgs2tM-E8YN2oV7YSlLjDj09a5owdLAaAgVREALw_wcB

[Jilly]

You will probably have to comply with SUDs so a grasscrete type like that product might help your case. Highways usually have to do the dropped kerb' or 'crossover' which can vary hugely between local authorities.

[adamguest]

Just now, Jilly said:

You will probably have to comply with SUDs so a grasscrete type like that product might help your case. Highways usually have to do the dropped kerb' or 'crossover' which can vary hugely between local authorities.

 

Yes Herts Highways have to do it for us - charge about £1000. TBH the cost isn’t the driving factor here as I’m positive that unless we have to spend LOADS to buy the land or to move utilities etc, the drive will add value to the house. And quality of life as we expect to be here 20 years at least.

 

The other main stumbling point / headache is that the ground needs to be levelled which means a drop of about 3 foot at the deepest bit. The road is below the house, we have steps to go up to get to our house. So I’d imagine there are all sorts of utilities from the main pipes that go into our homes (I’m thinking gas, electric, water, Virgin), and those may all be underneath the grass bank rather than at road height.