Councils do battle over strip of land

Parish councillors claim they have spent nearly £1,000 on legal fees for the land, which they thought they had bought in 1985, but which Kennet now claims it owns.

In March this year the parish council received a letter from district solicitor Maria Memoli saying the land had been transferred to Sarsen Housing Association in 1995.

The village's anger and frustration was evident at the annual parish meeting last Thursday night. Chairman Elizabeth Lydall said the situation came to light in 1999 when the parish council wanted to renegotiate the rent paid by Southern Electric for the electricity sub-station on the land.

The council received a letter from Kennet saying that half the land was owned by the district council.

The parish council retained Wansbrough's solicitors to fight its case and in November 2001 Mrs Memoli wrote: "Quite frankly, I fail to see the sudden urgency after 15 years. The district council is in negotiation with a developer of a nearby site and, therefore, at this moment in time, I feel I am not in a position to correspond further with you until the council has determined whether the land is surplus to its requirements."

But on March 12 this year Mrs Memoli wrote to say the land had been transferred to Sarsen in July 1995.

The parish council is determined to prove the four-foot strip was part of the 5.6 acres it bought from Kennet in The Park in 1985 as recreation land.

But Kennet's chief executive Mark Boden said he had examined the conveyance document and the strip of land was clearly shown as being retained by Kennet.

"It was not until searches were done at the Land Registry that it was found that the land had been transferred to Sarsen.

"It was a genuine mistake. I am sure Sarsen and Erlestoke will be able to sort it out between themselves."

The parish council will fight for the return of the legal fees which, it claims, required a rise in the parish precept this year.