Our timely intervention ensured the owner of land in South Yorkshire, who was due to have 40 homes built on it, was properly compensated for its mineral interest before construction started.
We stepped in when developers received planning permission to build the homes on the site in Harthill near Worksop.
While the developers had the rights to the surface of the land, the mineral rights below ground are separate which meant they were in danger of trespassing or blocking off access to the minerals once the homes were built.
After we consulted with the developers, we negotiated a settlement of £55,000, which meant the landowner was compensated fairly for the minerals and ensured the homes could be constructed and sold without any hiccups.
William Gagie, Head of Minerals, said: “Often landowners are unaware of the value of what lies beneath their land, and many may not know that the rights to the surface of land can be separate to the rights to the underground minerals. Through our extensive GIS mapping capabilities, we already know what minerals are under the ground on our clients’ land. Our planning team also uses automated tracker software to monitor the land which alerts us whenever a development comes forward on a site.
“It meant we could move quickly to tell the developers about potential trespass and to negotiate a fair price for our client before work started on the site. It’s so important for landowners to understand the value and the rights to the minerals underneath their land, and to ensure the right compensation is paid if developers are looking to build on the surface.”
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