Highway land ownership

As part of this Hampshire has been acquiring land for new bypasses, dual carriageways road widenings, visibility improvements, realigning bends and constructing footways.

Size of the network and land owned

Hampshire County Council is arguably the largest landowner in the county.

The highway network currently exceeds 8,500 km the majority of which has, at some time been improved. The estimated total of land held by Hampshire County is in excess of 20,000 individual parcels of land.

Not all of the land that Hampshire has acquired is beneath the road surface, much is verge, cutting slopes or embankments, some is off highway altogether, either as drainage routes or purchased for proposed road schemes yet to be constructed.

Digitising the land deeds

Currently we are digitising all highway land deeds onto GIS. This includes deeds acquired by predecessor highway authorities (such as the pre 1888 parish councils, pre 1929 Rural District Councils, pre 1974 Urban District Councils and detrunked Secretary of Transport deeds).

Fareham Borough Council and Gosport Borough Councils' highway deeds are also currently being digitised.

When this has been completed it will enable Hampshire County Council to manage it's highway land assets appropriately by determining highway maintenance responsibilities, recognising unauthorised occupation of highway land and raising revenue by the disposal of surplus land.

History of the highway

More information about the history of the highway at a national and local level