• Most property now is registered with the Land Registry. They state that their Filed Plan shows only the general location of the boundary, and
  that the precise location is left to be decided on the ground.
   
• Public Rights of Way are shown on the County Definitive Map. However, as with boundaries,
  this is definitive only as to the general location
  and status of the Right of Way. Other maps
  and evidence can (in certain circumstances)
  be used to define the precise route.
   
• Landfill operations - Large sums of money depend on complex calculations of available airspace. Poor mapping and design plans can lead to expensive litigation.

Taken together, these issues mean that neighbour disputes over boundaries and rights of way are seldom simple. Overlaid
on the technical problem is the emotional nature of such disputes; ownership of land is a fundamental part of human existence. Expert help is required to isolate the key issues, analyse the evidence, and arrive at a logical conclusion. Diplomatic skills are a vital part of what is usually an intensely human problem, and this has to be based on experience. Boundary disputes may seldom involve significant land value; but they represent problems which are of enormous
importance to the individuals involved, and which can ruin lives if not resolved.

Nigel Atkinson has been actively involved in resolving boundary problems for more than 25 years. He is a Founder Member
of the Expert Witness Institute, has an approved entry in The Sweet & Maxwell's directory of Expert Witnesses, and is a corresponding member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Boundaries and Party Walls working group. He has completed courtroom skills and Single Joint Expert training, and has lectured and published on the accuracy of conveyance plans. He also has experience of Rights of Way problems and of major landfill litigation.  Download Nigel's CV in PDF format