Commons Registration

The Commons Registration Unit is situated within Legal, Democratic Services & Procurement, Civic Centre, Swansea, SA1 3SN.

Common Land is categorised as Urban or Rural common land. Urban common is land subject to public rights of access on foot. Rural commons have no public rights of access, except over registered rights of way, or the owner of such land may grant public rights of access by Deed. Some Rural Commons have public rights of access under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. For full details of the public rights of access exercisable over individual commons please contact the Commons Registration Unit.

Commons Register

To carry out a search of the commons register a CON 290 form is required, these forms are supplied by Law stationers. Qn 22 deals specifically with common land and town and village greens.  The form should include a plan preferably on an O.S based map in duplicate, identifying the area to be searched. 

There are two ways in which a search may be carried out: 

1. as part of a Local Land Charges search where both the CON29(R) form and Con29(O) form are submitted together. The cost of the commons element of this search is £17.90
2. as a stand alone search on the CON29(O) form (where it is submitted without the Con29(R) form). The cost of a search in these circumstances is £28.99

Please make cheques payable to The City & County of Swansea. For further information on conducting a Commons Registration Search please contact the Commons Regstation Unit.

The Authority will carry out the search and send the result back within 4-5 working days.

Personal Searches

Personal searches of the register can be carried out, although an appointment is necessary to ensure staff availability.

Searches in respect of grazing rights attached to farms are not covered by a statutory form, but by forwarding a letter and plan the rights query can be answered. The fee for this service is £19.50.

Queries relating to the developing or carrying out of works on Common Land should be directed to the National Assembly for Wales who determine such cases, under the statutory provision of the Law of Property Act 1925.

The City and County of Swansea also processes applications for the registration of Town or Village Greens, and acts as an Agent to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council on Common Land registration matters.