Changing and correcting the registers of commons and town and village greens

You can apply to correct the register if you think that land or buildings have been incorrectly registered as common land or as a village green, for example, if an error was made when mapping the boundary of a common at the time it was registered.

You can also apply to deregister land that was wrongly registered as common land or as a town or village green, for example, buildings registered as common land.

Why there are mistakes in the register

The registers of common land and town or village greens were first prepared under the Commons Registration Act 1965. In some cases, original applications to register land included maps that were difficult to interpret or incorrectly defined the land's boundaries. This led to some land registered under the 1965 Act being wrongly registered as common or town or village green.

What can be changed or corrected

You may be able to correct or remove land from the register if:

you can show the land or buildings to have been wrongly registered as common land or village green under the Commons Registration Act 1965
the land was built upon at the time of the original registration and is still built upon at the time that your application is decided

It doesn't matter whether or not:

the building was lawfully present on the land when it was originally registered under the 1965 Act
the land has been covered by the same building since it was originally registered under the 1965 Act, for example, the land could have been covered by a garage next to a house and the garage was then demolished, so the land had become part of the garden attached to that house

You must apply by 28 February 2027.

How to apply

Your application must include evidence to show how the mistake or error was originally made.

You should read the Gov.uk - Common land guidance before applying to correct the register:

Completed applications should be sent to The Definitive Map Team.

Application fees

There are fees for some applications under section 19 to amend the register. Additional fees may be charged by the Planning Inspectorate, where they are involved in processing an application. Further information can be found at Legislation.gov.uk - The Commons Registration (England) Regulations 2014

Applications made under Section 19 of the 2006 Act

Fees for applications made under Section 19 of the 2006 Act
Purpose of application	Application fee
Correction, for the purpose of section 19(2)(a) of the 2006 Act, of a mistake made by registration authority	No fee payable to Dorset Council. A fee is due to the Planning Inspectorate.
Deregistration of certain land registered as common land or as a town or village green (schedule 2, paragraphs 6-9 of the 2006 Act)	£1000

Existing applications

These are applications made under:

Section 19(2)(a), Commons Act 2006 - to correct the registers of common land or town and village greens
paragraphs 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Schedule 2, Commons Act 2006 to remove 'buildings' or 'other land', land that was wrongly registered as either common land or town or village green

Current applications
Reference number	CLD2016/1
Applicant	Gleeson Developments - managed by JMR Planning Law
Name and location of the land	Leigh Common, Colehill / Wimborne (register ref. CL1)
Details of application	To correct the register under S 19(2)(a) to deregister as common land all land shown coloured red on Map 1 attached to the application on the basis that it ought never to have been registered as common land due to the fact that it was highway at the time of registration and the Commons Registration Authority therefore made a mistake by registering it as common land.
Effect of application	The removal of the land as shown in red on Map 1 attached to the application from the register of common land.
Deadline for comments and objections	Closed
Copy of application and notice	CLD2016-1 Application CLD2016-1 Site Notice & Plan
Decision notice	Decision Notice CLD 2016-1 Drawing 18-22

Reference number	CLD 2017/1
Applicant	D C Planning Limited
Name and location of the land	Leigh Common, Colehill / Wimborne (register ref. CL1)
Details of application	To correct the register under S 19(2)(a) to deregister as common land all land shown edged red and shaded grey on plan numbered 2036 attached to the application as Annex 3 on the basis that it ought never to have been registered as common land due to the fact that it was highway at the time of registration and the Commons Registration Authority therefore made a mistake by registering it as common land.
Effect of application	The removal of the land edged red and shaded grey on plan numbered 2036 attached to the application as Annex 3 from the register of common land.
Deadline for comments and objections	Closed
Copy of application and notice	CLD2017-1 Application CLD2017-1 Site Notice & Plan
Decision notice	Decision Notice CLD 2017-1

2018 Application
Reference number	CLD 2018/1
Applicant	Ronald George Isaac and Janet Isaac
Name and location of the land	Wastelands, Cranborne and Alderholt (register ref. CL127)
Details of application	To correct the register under Schedule 2, Commons Act 2006 by deregistering a building wrongly registered as common land as shown on the map attached to the application due to the fact that on the date of provisional registration the land was covered by a building or was within the curtilage of the building.
Effect of application	The removal of the land as shown hatched blue on the map attached to the application from the register of common land.
Deadline for comments and objections	midnight 27 September 2019
Copy of application and notice	CLD2018-1 Application CLD2018-1 Site notice & plan

Comments and objections

Members of the public can inspect applications and their accompanying documents in the Definitive Map Team office.

Comments and objections should be sent to the Definitive Map Team. Please note that any representations will not be treated as confidential.

The Definitive Map Team

Email: DefinitiveMapTeam@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Tel: 01305 224463
Full contact details for The Definitive Map Team