Landowners in the Northumberland area are being urged to take advantage of a voluntary land registration scheme that will offer them certainty and security about what they own.
The Northumberland initiative is part of a drive by Land Registry - the government department responsible for registering land ownership in England and Wales - to seek people who own agricultural land of more than 50 hectares (about 120 acres) and help them to identify and register what they own.
Almost half of England and Wales remains unregistered. In Northumberland there is almost 508,000 hectares of land, of which just under 296,000 is registered.
Andy Pikesley, Register Development Manager, said: "We know that farmers and landowners live busy lives but we hope that with the quieter winter months just around the corner they will have a little time to pause and think to the future. Land Registry is keen that farmers and other landowners have a proper guarantee of their land ownership. We have a straightforward and cost-effective system for checking and registering who owns what and we're currently offering a 25% discount on the costs for those who voluntarily register their land. We would welcome enquiries from as many landowners as possible."
Once registered, owners have the title to their land guaranteed by the state and buying and selling can be easier. Landowners also know the administration of their land holding is in good order with key information in one place and easy to access.
