A few things... In case you didn't see it through email or social media, I wrote a long piece about social housing in the aftermath of Grenfell Tower, which is on a separate page at that link. In Scotland, the Inner House of the Court of Session heard an...
On the naughty step: Bait and Switch
I don't read the Daily Telegraph. Frankly I've failed to see the point since it stopped featuring details of the salacious trial of the day as a regular fixture on page 3, because the rest of it was preposterous blimpish nonsense, mainly full of regret that...
Adverse Possession of a Highway II
Last year we reported the decision R (Smith) v Land Registry [2009] EWHC 328 (Admin) in which the High Court held (amongst other things) that it was impossible to acquire land by adverse possession if that land was subject to a public highway. At the time I...
Adverse possession of the river bed II
Port of London Authority v Ashmore [2010] EWCA Civ 30 is a really odd decision by the Court of Appeal to the extent I had to read it through carefully twice to be sure I understood its effect. I am still not sure that I do. You may remember that we reported...
Adverse possession of the river bed
In Port of London Authority v Ashmore [2009] EWHC 954 (Ch) the Defendant had, since 1983, tethered his sailing barge to Albion Wharf on the Thames close by Battersea Bridge. The Authority wished to register title to the bed of the river Thames but Mr Ashmore...
Adverse possession of a highway
Can you acquire title to land over which a highway runs? There seems to be no reason in principle why not but R (Smith) v Land Registry (Peterborough) [2009] EWHC 328 (Admin) — wrongly in my view — suggests otherwise. The Claimant had occupied land with his...
Without Prejudice acknowledgment of title?
Ofulue v Bossert [2009] UKHL 16 was an adverse possession case - we commented on the Court of Appeal hearing here, and that post gives the background. There was an appeal to the House of Lords which was primarily concerned with the limitation period of...
Adverse possession and estoppel
In St Pancras & Humanist HA v Leonard [2008] EWCA Civ 1442, the Court of Appeal held that, although Mr Leonard had possession of the relevant property (a garage), he nevertheless was estopped from claiming a right by adverse possession against the...
The Crown as squatter
A more than a little unusual Court of Appeal judgment on adverse possession has just been handed down. Roberts v Crown Estate Commissioners [2008] EWCA Civ 98. I won't go into the details - it involved a challenge to Crown possession of an area of foreshore...
Adverse possession, Art 1 and acknowledgements
Ofulue & Anor v Bossert [2008] EWCA Civ 7 deals with an adverse possession case prior to the Land Registration Act 2002. Some notes: The (then) law on adverse possession does not breach Art.1 Protocol 1, Pye v United Kingdom [2007] ECHR 44302/02 applied....