For further information or if you require a search urgently,  please contact Land Charges:

Telephone: 01638 719319/318
Fax: 01638 719333
Email:  lc@forest-heath.gov.uk.

We can make arrangements to expedite a search at no extra cost quickly and efficiently.

The Land Charges Section is currently open between the hours of 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday, when a member of staff will be able to assist you.

Local authorities in Suffolk are working together to bring you a joined up service.  Please visit www.suffolksearches.co.uk to find out more.

Land Charges Registers are public records and can be inspected at our offices in Mildenhall, Suffolk, between the hours of 9am and 3pm.

Local Land Charges
A Local Land Charge is a restriction or prohibition on land either to secure the payment of a sum of money or to limit the use to which the land may be put and is binding on successive owners or occupiers.

Local Land Charges originate from both internal and external sources, including Planning, Environmental Health, Highways Agency, Environment Agency, Ministry of Agriculture Food & Fisheries, Water Authorities, Department of Culture Media & Sport and English Heritage.

A Local Land Charges Search is carried out when a property or piece of land is being purchased, leased, valued or re-mortgaged. A Local Land Search is part of the conveyancing process and reveals registerable charges, for example: Notices served under various Acts including Planning Applications that have been approved with conditions and Building and Housing Notices, Conservation Areas, Tree Preservation Orders, Listed Buildings, Enforcement Notices, Legal Agreements, Improvement/Renovation Grants, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Financial Charges.

A Local Land Charges Search is made up of two parts. The first part is the LLC1 form which is the Official Certificate of Search and deals with all the registerable charges that bind on the land which is being searched on. The second part is the CON29R and CON29O forms (Parts 1: Standard Enquiries of Local Authority (Edition 2007) and Part 2: Additional Enquiries of Local Authority (Edition 2007). These forms detail a number of enquiries issues such as road schemes and the planning history and additional enquiries which include public paths or byways, road proposals, Completion Notices, pipelines, contaminated land, Hazardous Substance Consents, Environmental and Pollution Notices and Food Safety Notices.

How to submit a search

Forms can be obtained from Solicitors and Law Stationers and the following should be submitted:

• Two copies of the LLC1 form and CON29R Part 1 forms (along with two copies of the CON29O Part 2 form if applicable)
• Two copies of the plan with the area to be searched on clearly edged in red on each plan, and the correct fee.

Please note that this Council is not on DX.

Searches can also be received electronically through the National Land and Information Service Hub.

Personal searches

Appointments for personal searches are available between the hours of 9.45am and 2.45pm, Monday to Friday and are on a first come, first served basis.  We require at least 24 hours' notice of an appointment along with written confirmation of the appointment (time, date, together with details of the property address) and a plan, either by e-mail or facsimile.  Please note that in times of short staffing levels, high demand or other unforseeable circumstances, we will endeavour to book the appointment within 3 working days from the date of the request. We will accept 6 addresses on each appointment.  Where the property is a plot, we require the correct postal address. 

Please note that failure to supply a plan before the appointment date will result in cancellation of the appointment, as we require a plan to enable clarification of the area being searched on and therefore provide the applicable register entries.  

Where possible, please notify us if you are going to be late or are not able to make an appointment.  If you are going to be late we will endeavour to accommodate you for a later time that day or the next available appointment.  We cannot guarantee that should you be late and have not advised us, that there will be a member of staff available to assist you.  If an appointment is booked and not kept and our staff are not advised, there will be a cancellation charge of £10.00.

Payment can be made by cash, cheque or debit/credit card.  A receipt will be provided. 

The Local Land Charges Register is held in an electronic format at Forest Heath District Council and a paper copy showing the following will be provided to all personal search agents (registrations which have been approved with conditions, legal agreements, tree preservation order’s, conservation areas, breach of condition notices, enforcement notices, listed buildings, advanced payment code notices, section 30 Anglian Water agreements, revocation order’s, environmentally sensitive areas and sites of special scientific interest). The fee for a copy of this is £1.75; this is in addition to the statutory £11.00 fee. Please note we are not able to let you copy and then return the document. Where there are no registrations, the fee will be £11.00 only and a paper copy showing “No Registrations” will be provided.

All other planning application history is not provided i.e., applications that have been refused, withdrawn, appeal dismissed no objections etc. To obtain a complete planning application history you will need to log into the Planning Explorer Portal on the PC which is located in the Planning Reception Area. A procedure notice for the PC is located nearby. Also available for your inspection are our Planning Plotting Books. Our Planning Reception Staff will be happy to show you how to use the terminal if you are unsure.

Copies of planning permissions, tree preservation order’s, enforcement notices, breach of conditions notice’s, Section 106 legal agreements and Section 38 highways agreements are available at this office for the sum of £6 or £12, according to the size of the document/s.

Public Registers are available for inspection within the reception area. Highways enquiries should be directed to Suffolk County Council, Highways Department, Ipswich, 01473 264188/89/90. Enquiries regarding records in relation to Building Control and Environmental Health should be directed, in writing to the applicable department at these offices. Drainage enquiries should be directed to Geodesy Ltd (Anglian Water Authority), PO Box 485, Huntingdon, PE29 6YB. Phone: 01480 323889.

As advised in the Communities and Local Government Good Practice Guidance for local authorities and personal searchers, our land charges staff will offer factual clarification of what is in the record and help with general queries relating to the records that are open for public inspection, but the land charges and planning reception staff are under no obligation to provide assistance with additional enquiries and supplementary information. It is the agent’s responsibility to identify the property/land to be searched on and record information from the records available.

Please note that where an LLC1 form has been submitted at the same time as a personal search or instead of an agent visiting the offices, the LLC1 form will be treated as a straight forward search which will be completed in order of date received along with all other LLC1's received.

Forest Heath District Council is currently working towards providing access to information as advised in the guidance consultation document issued by Communities and Local Government and the Ministry of Justice entitled "Local Authority Search Services - Charges for Property Searches".

Please note a Personal Search contains replies to the LLC1 only and does not contain replies to the CON29 form.