Explains the role of the Welsh Government Common Land Team in the infrastructure consent process.
Contents
Common land and infrastructure consent
The Welsh Government Common Land Team helps safeguard common land for current and future generations.
The team works to protect:
- the amount of common land and town or village greens
- the quality of common land
- the open and unenclosed nature of common land
- the special qualities of common land and greens
The consent and approval process helps make sure that:
- the overall amount of common land and greens is not reduced
- any deregistration of registered land is balanced by registering other land of at least equal benefit
- works on common land only take place where they maintain or improve the condition of the common
- works only take place in exceptional circumstances where they provide wider public benefit and are temporary or have no lasting impact
- any use of common land or a town or village green is consistent with its status
Engaging with the Common Land Team
Significant infrastructure projects (SIP) may affect common land because of their location or scale.
Where works are permanent and are not consistent with the land’s use as common land, applicants may need to deregister the relevant parcel of common land. This would remove its status as common land.
In these cases, applicants should provide suitable replacement land in exchange.
Applicants must propose replacement land if the area of land to be released is more than 200 square metres.
The Welsh Government also expects applicants to offer replacement land where the area to be released is less than 200 square metres. This is because Welsh Government policy is to avoid reducing the overall amount of common land and greens. For further information on the consenting criteria and expectations of prospective common land applications made under the Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024, see: Common land consents: guidance | GOV.WALES
For enquires about common land, email: commonsact2006@gov.wales