The government has declined to specify when the public will be able to freely access information detailing the ownership of large land plots across England and Wales.
In March, Emma Reynolds, the previous secretary of state for the environment, announced that the paywall protecting significant portions of the Land Registry would be partially lifted. However, no date was set for this change.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) committed in March to "work with HM Land Registry this year to provide access to free, spatial land ownership data for larger properties covering the vast majority of England and Wales, excluding almost all homeowners."
A Land Registry spokesperson stated in July that plans are at a very early stage and will require consultation before firm decisions are made. They anticipate providing an update early next year. In August, the Land Registry also noted that details regarding which data parts would be public, who could access it, and by what means, were unclear.
Environmental campaigner Guy Shrubsole criticised the lack of transparency, stating that the data could assist councils in building homes, expose river polluters, and aid nature restoration. A Defra spokesperson confirmed the commitment to improving transparency and providing free access to land ownership data for the majority of England, promising further details as the work progresses.