In most cases the grass verges beside roads and footways, up to the boundary wall, hedge or fence, are part of the highway. It's our responsibility to maintain the verges, including cutting the grass.
Where the highway authority acquired the site of the road by purchase, but has only metalled the centre, it has the same legal interest in the verges as any other freeholder has in his own land. It owns the surface and all the soil beneath. Roads taken over by highway authorities vest in them together with the verges.
ask neighbours or adjoining landowners if they know who the owner(s) might be;
ask local residents if they have any ideas about who might own it, as they may have lived in the area for a number of years and have 'local knowledge';
If you have land or property next to the verge then you may hold the freehold interest in the subsoil of the verge subject to the right of the highway authority to maintain the surface and of the public to pass by.
In most cases, the land on either side of the road (the grass verge) forms part of the highway and so can be owned by an individual however maintainable at public expense.
Can you put stones on grass verge outside my house?
We would want to remind residents that under the provisions of the Highways Act 1980 , it is an offence to block, obstruct or damage road verges. This includes rocks, posts, A-boards etc.
If a neighbour is driving across the grass verge/footpath into their property to park their car. It is illegal to drive over grass verges or footpaths unless a dropped kerb, approved and installed by Hounslow council is in place. In the above circumstances please report full details to us, including: location.
Parking on footways or footpaths (pavements, grass verges, alleyways, etc), or in front of dropped footways or raised carriageways (for example driveways or pedestrian crossings) is banned on almost all streets in London at all times, including at night and weekends.
For freehold properties, typically houses, the answer in the UK is relatively simple. The owner of a freehold property owns everything from the centre of the earth up to the “lower stratum” which is not well defined but is somewhere between 500ft (150 metres) to 1,000ft (300 metres) above ground level.
Answer: If it's under your land, it's yours. That is, unless it's coal, oil, gas or certain precious metals. The Crown is also entitled to all gold and silver found in gold and silver mines on or beneath anyone's property.
There is a widespread but mistaken belief in a 7 year boundary rule. The thinking appears to be that possessing a piece of land for 7 years entitles you to adverse possession. It doesn't. Broadly, the periods involved for adverse possession are either 10 or 12 years.
Where no waiting restrictions are present on the road, parking on a grass verge or pavement is not illegal. However, a driver may be open to prosecution if their vehicle is persistently damaging a verge, parked dangerously or causing an obstruction.
The Verge is an American technology news website headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City and operated by Vox Media. The website publishes news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts.
Roadside trees/hedges are the responsibility of the owner/occupier of the land they're on. You can report a safety issue with weeds, grass verges, hedges or overhanging trees.
Unless you live on a private road, the pavement outside your house is part of a public highway, so you don't have an exclusive right to park there. If you're disabled, you should apply to the council to have a dedicated parking bay painted on the road outside your home, rather than parking on the pavement.
In modern times, the air rights of a property owner don't quite extend all the way 'up to the sky'. Airspace ownership is usually considered to extend to between 500-1,000 feet above a property. This allows aircraft to fly over your property at a reasonable height, in accordance with the 1949 Civil Aviation Act.
This is the airspace which exists above the height which is reasonably acceptable and necessary for the ordinary use and enjoyment of the land by its owner – around 500 to 1000 feet above roof space level (Section 76 Civil Aviation Act 1982).
Do landowners own everything up to the very heavens?
Cuius est solum, eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos (Latin for "whoever's is the soil, it is theirs all the way to Heaven and all the way to Hell") is a principle of property law, stating that property holders have rights not only to the plot of land itself, but also the air above and (in the broader formulation) ...
How can I stop people parking on the grass verge outside my house?
Timber verge protection marker posts are the simple and effective solution to the problem. They are easy to install as they include a metal tube at the bottom of the timber post that allows the post to be pushed securely into the ground.
If the road is unadopted by the highway authority, it will belong to whoever owns the road - or no-one. Check your deeds or land registry. Your property stops at the fence line. The grass verge beyond your property belongs to the local council.
Why should you avoid parking on the grass verge in rural areas?
Driving over and parking on a grass verge often damages the verge which not only spoils the appearance of the street, but involves unnecessary additional expense to the council to repair the damage and maintain the verge.
While it is illegal for you to install bollards on a grass verge or other area of land you don't own, there is nothing stopping your local council from doing it. You can contact your council and ask them to consider installing bollards or barriers onto the verge outside your home.
What is the difference between a kerb and a verge?
A roadside verge is the strip of land between the road kerb and another boundary. This may be a wall, fence or a building. Verges can be all grass, asphalt or include trees and hedges. They are a useful buffer between the road traffic and the areas nearby.
