Residents of 35 homes in Doncaster Grove, Long Eaton, Derbyshire, have been told that large parts of their gardens actually belong to the council, and that they have been trespassing on the land for decades. The properties back onto a tributary of the River Erewash and the Manor Farm and Toton Fields nature reserves. Erewash Borough Council first informed homeowners two years ago that it owns the land, which they had been maintaining with patios, sheds, and greenhouses, and demanded they either lease or purchase it or face losing it.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 11 existing licences have already been terminated. Two homeowners have said they do not wish to buy their plots, though a neighbour is expected to do so. Three residents have agreed to buy outright, two have agreed to buy in staged payments, two have agreed to rent, and one property has been listed on Rightmove with a note that part of the rear garden is in council ownership.
The council says it has owned the land since 1995, following a transfer from Broxtowe Borough Council, which had previously allowed residents to rent the plots. In 1996, residents asked to buy the land but were refused, and instead £25 annual leases were introduced. Since then, the council claims 34 of the 35 households have encroached onto its land, with only 14 having up-to-date licences and 18 using the land without any licence at all.
The authority initially set rent at £25 per year and offered to sell the plots at £140 per square metre. After negotiations, this was cut to a 'final offer' of £50 per square metre, reflecting the fact that the gardens lie in a floodplain with no prospect of development. This means purchase prices now range from £1,500 for a 30-square-metre plot to £10,000 for the largest 200-square-metre plot.
The council considered asking residents to restore original fence lines and reclaim the land, but ruled this out due to potential costs of up to £20,000, reputational damage, protests, and possible legal action. Instead, it has opted to end existing licences and introduce new ones. A final reminder letter is now being sent to homeowners who have yet to respond, with the council maintaining that the agreed price is 'fair and reasonable'.
