Last time we considered the history of the OS and how it all started with a baseline across Hounslow Heath that permitted, by means of triangulation, the mapping of all of Britain. This resulted in a network of over 15 000 trig points dotted across Britain such that it is possible to see at least two others from each of them. Using this network the length of Britain was calculated to an accuracy of 20 metres. Today’s OS Net network which relies of laser measurement and GPS does without these markers and achieves an accuracy of +/-3mm. I once had to reference an Ordnance Survey trig point (or ‘concrete pillar triangulation point’ to give them their proper name) that was unusually located in a flat river plain next to the West Coast Main Line and needed to be removed to make way for the four tracking route modernization we were involved in. I called OS to enquiry about the ownership of the trig point itself (the land it was on belonged to the local farmer) as I imagined that it wouldn’t be something that the project could just pick up and shift. I was disappointed to be told that these landmarks are now obsolete and in this one’s case, that I could ‘just take it if you want it’. For a few moments I wondered just how I might dig it up and install it in my garden. They are in fact enormous things with more of the pillar below the ground than above. You may have headed for a walk and know you have reached your destination by finding a trig point at the top of the hill or whatever location you were aiming for, as shown by a small triangle on your OS map. But there are lots of other markers that we might pass without giving them a thought.
In this edition we’ll look at a few clues in the built world around us that suggest ownership or occupation. For instance, the hydrant markers that dot the UK clearly show that a water utility company has equipment nearby. These yellow ‘H’ markers all carry two numbers; the top one being the diameter of the connection and the bottom one being the distance from the marker to the water mains connection. We also have numerous manhole covers, usually identifying who has (or had) the equipment below. These are still plenty about that say ‘GPO’ from the days when the telephone network was run by the General Post Office (the equipment was inherited by BT when the telephone privatized in 1984 (having been nationalized in 1912) – although BT’s origins are to 1846, making it the world’s first public telegraph company).
Clues to ownership are all around us – if we care to notice them: named access covers; licensees listed above pub doorways; signage on equipment such as electricity substations and pylons, advertising hoardings, parking meters and ticket machines; industrial estate occupier lists; entry doorbells; registered office signs; private road signs and boundary markers; and signage to comply with s.4 of the Business Names Act 1985, to list just a few.
Some can be very detailed. I remember being faced with the one below and trying to represent the requirements in a book of reference some years ago. See what you make of it.
This article is written by Ashley Parry Jones, Director – Planning, WSP. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of WSP or SoLR or its members. The information provided does not and is not intended to constitute legal advice and instead is offered for general purposes only. It does not constitute the most up to date legal information. Any links and references provided are for the readers’ convenience only and do not constitute a recommendation of those sources.