NEW legislation is allowing landowners and residents the chance to correct longstanding mistakes in the county’s Common Land Registers.

The new Welsh Government Commons Act regulations offer the opportunity to apply to the county council to either add or remove land forming part of common land or a village green from the council’s register, providing a case can be made to show that a mistake has been made.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Common Land Officer Jim Dunckley said: “When many of our Commons and Greens were registered back in the 1970s, there were often errors in the way the land was registered.

“Wrongly registered Common Land and Village Green can affect farm payments and the value of private properties. At the same time there is also now an opportunity to add land which affords new opportunities for access and recreation to the wider public.

“The initial application should be made to the county council and evidence must be provided that a mistake or omission was made on the part of our predecessor authority, otherwise it’s possible that applicants will have to pay a fee to correct the alleged mistake.”

Jim Dunckley can be contacted at County Hall, Haverfordwest SA61 1TP. Telephone: 01437 775330 or email: jim.dunckley@pembrokeshire.gov.uk