HM Land Registry and Ordnance Survey have agreed a three-year collaboration aimed at creating a more connected and less stressful property market.
The organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding covering greater data accessibility, closer alignment between their digital strategies and the development of new services for homebuyers, businesses and government.
HM Land Registry wants to move beyond its traditional role as the custodian of England and Wales’s land ownership records by making its information easier to access, use and connect with other property data.
The agreement forms part of its Strategy 2025+ commitment to make property services “better, faster and less stressful”.
CONNECTING LAND AND LOCATION DATA
Ordnance Survey already plays an important part in registration by mapping housing developments and building footprints.
Its information is used daily by more than 4,500 HM Land Registry caseworkers to maintain the register and show general boundaries on title plans.
The collaboration will align HM Land Registry’s geospatial transformation with the OS National Geographic Database and product roadmap.
The organisations will also explore distributing Land Registry information through the OS Data Hub and share expertise covering licensing, geospatial data and compliance.
Tina Kennedy, Chief Customer Officer at Ordnance Survey, says: “A more efficient property market is vital to the UK economy. It helps people move home more easily, supports development and investment, and underpins one of the most significant assets many people own.
“This is an invaluable opportunity to work closely with HM Land Registry to deliver value to government, homebuyers and developers.
“Our trusted data has always been integral to the land registration process, so we are delighted to be collaborating with HMLR to further improve data accessibility across government and strengthen connectivity between departments across the housing market.”
DATA TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC GROWTH
The initiative is intended to support the Government’s target of delivering 1.5 million homes in England during the current Parliament.
HM Land Registry and Ordnance Survey say improved data could also support environmental planning, help prevent the duplication of property titles and allow insurers to assess risks across geographically dispersed portfolios.
Lynne Nicholson, Deputy Director for Data and Head of Data Group at HM Land Registry, says: “We have exciting plans to transition from traditional record keeping to actively fuelling economic growth and unlocking new opportunities across the housing sector.
“I am looking forward to working closely with Ordnance Survey colleagues to share insights and ideas and build a shared vision for trusted data that will make a real difference for all of our customers.”
Property in England and Wales is valued at almost £9trn, with approximately £1.66trn of lending secured against it.
