Common land

At the weekend I cycled to the Olympic Park and beyond, along the canal towpaths of the Lee Navigation. (20 miles, that’s pretty good for me!). Along a stretch to the south of the Olympic Park I was struck by this sign reminding visitors they had only had access due to the largesse of the landowner.

It reminded me of issues concerning disputed common land and the right to roam that had cropped up in the media over the years, and also that parallels can be drawn with access and the commons in our virtual lives too.

The UK Government website says that common land is owned, eg by a local council, privately or by the National trust. But who owns what? In British property law there is no overall and open land registry of property owners. Who does it benefit to preserve this democratic deficit?

Below is a visitor’s map of the Olympic Park with all its amenities and attractions, with the London Borough of Hackney’s extensive byelaws listed on the back of it.

I have been looking for something like this in the 67 acre Kings Cross Central area, now owned jointly by founding developers Argent and – since 2016, when the British government quietly sold their majority stake – pension fund AustralianSuper.