Donegal Mechanism needed to 'resolve land anomalies ' - Cllr Doherty

Concerns have been expressed about the digitalised mapping process currently being undertaken by the Property Registration Authority of Ireland, formerly Land Registry.

Speaking at Sinn Féin's Ard Fheis in Derry last weekend, Carndonagh Councillor Albert Doherty said there was no mechanism to “object to or to have a reconsideration of digital mapping.”

Cllr Doherty was proposing a motion from Inishowen's Cumann an Máighe, which noted “significant land discrepancies and inconsistencies since the commencement of digitalised mapping.”

He said: “Significant land discrepancies and inconsistencies have arisen since the commencement of digitalised mapping by the Property Registration Authority of Ireland (PRAI) and previously the Land Registry.

“I am calling on the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to initiate an immediate review and investigation of
anomalies, conflicts and irregularities resulting from this digitalised system.

“The Department and PRAI need to put a mechanism in place immediately to explore and resolve land register anomalies and assure land owners that digital mapping results are aligned and in keeping with Ordnance Survey maps,” said Cllr Doherty.

Cllr Doherty revealed that a number of cases had come to his attention were families inherit a piece of land and digitalised mapping shows their site does not correspond with what the architect drew in years gone by.”

Cllr Doherty said: “People have found digitalised mapping does not correspond to the paper Ordnance Survey maps previously used by Land Registry.

“When this matter is brought to the attention PRAI, the organisation involved in the digitalised mapping process, they are told, 'Our digital maps identify sites and properties, they do not identify boundaries.'

“So, a person might inherit a piece of land and they think there is something amiss, their neighbour's site seems a little bigger and their site is slightly reduced. This has happened on quite a few occasions recently, someone has purchased a site and gone to build and felt the site was not as was recorded in the original Land Registry map.

“When this is brought to the attention of PRAI, there seems to be no mechanism to object to or to have a reconsideration of the digital mapping. PRAI seems to be telling people, 'What is done is done, what is written is written and there is no comeback.' This is unsatisfactory. I have brought this matter to the office of the Planning Regulator. However, we need a system in place, which gives those who have issues concerns or questions in relation to boundaries, somewhere to have this matter addressed,” said Cllr Doherty.

Cllr Doherty concluded the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government or PRAI need to introduce a mechanism to “explore and resolve Land Register anomalies.”

He added: “Inishowen landowners need assurance digitalised mapping results is aligned and in keeping with what was in Ordnance Survey maps of old.”