The Royal Highland Show, taking place this year from 22 — 25 June, is Scotland’s largest agricultural event.
Farmers, families and visitors from all over Scotland and beyond descend upon Ingliston Showground for a celebration of all that Scotland’s countryside has to offer.
The showground is an intrinsic part of the Scottish farming landscape, so its owner, the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), was keen to have greater clarity and certainty regarding the land it owns, its exact boundaries and the conditions which affect it. Titles registered in the Land Register of Scotland are easier, faster and cheaper to transact with.
RHASS used Registers of Scotland’s (RoS) voluntary registration process to add the showground to the land register, the map-based public record of land and property ownership in Scotland – thanks to a collaboration between RoS, RHASS, Robin Priestly from Whose Land Scotland and Archie Stewart from Landmaps Ltd.
As RHASS chairman Keith Brooke tells us, voluntary registration made perfect sense:
‘For decades RHASS has been at the forefront of new developments in rural Scotland, so it was logical that we would work alongside Registers of Scotland to ensure that our interests at Ingliston were added to the digital map-based land register for the benefit of all our members now and into the future.’
How was the title drawn up?
Archie Stewart, director of Landmaps Ltd, was responsible for drawing a plan that accurately shows the title boundaries of the property, a process that had added complexity thanks to the nature of the showground. He described this practice as being like assembling a jigsaw.
‘We reviewed the boundaries of Ingliston on the ground using GPS on areas that needed clarification. We then discussed any points raised with RHASS management and directors to ensure we added their knowledge of the area to our plan.’
Meanwhile, Robin Priestley, solicitor at Whose Land Scotland, examined all titles held on the sasine register by RHASS to establish exactly what land it owns. This examination included the verification of access rights and burdens and boundary liabilities.
Robin and Archie then worked together to compare the plan Archie made of the physical boundaries as they are today, with findings from Robin’s examination of the sasine titles. This ensured the original area of the title was accurately reflected in the new map, essential to maintain the integrity of the map-based registration system.
Once mapping had been checked through consultation with RoS’s plans report service, Robin then prepared an application for the showground and three other applications which together covered the 15 sasine titles held by RHASS.
Fitting all this together (just like a jigsaw) produced the final picture and modern map-based titles that are easy to read and accurately show all of the land owned by RHASS.
Why should I register my land on the land register?
Scotland is moving to one system of registration for land and property titles. The land register provides landowners with greater certainty and security and reduces the cost of buying and selling property.
Thanks to this collaborative effort, RHASS now has access to straightforward titles, easy to understand documents and Ordnance Survey plans certifying ownership.
In addition, easy to read maps showing the title areas and boundary liabilities will help RHASS with the day to day management of the site, helping it manage commercial activities on its land during the Royal Highland Show and throughout the rest of the year.
How can Registers of Scotland help with the registration process?
Our experienced voluntary registration advisors are on hand to guide you through the process – although they cannot provide legal advice.
If your deeds do not already contain a suitable plan or description, the plan assistance team at RoS can provide a plan, or other providers are available.
As Robin explains: ‘Registers of Scotland were extremely helpful throughout the whole process of registering the showground. We used the plans report service to check out mapping and received invaluable advice and assistance from our RoS land register completion advisor on how we could deal with various issues affecting our applications.’
Registers of Scotland is at this year’s Royal Highland Show. To find out more about voluntary registration, visit us at our stand next to the Scottish Government pavilion, or email us on lrcompletion@ros.gov.uk.
Read our detailed guide to voluntary registration