Natural England

FAQs

Who can dedicate land?

A dedication under section 16 of the CROW Act can be made by a freehold owner of land (i.e. the holder of ‘the fee simple absolute in possession of the land’), or by a long leaseholder (so long as the lease is for a legal term of years absolute and has at least 90 years left to run). 

Section 16(5) of the CROW Act also allows the following to dedicate: a tenant for life of settled land, a university or college to which the Universities and Colleges Act 1925 applies, and an ecclesiastical corporation to which the Ecclesiastical Leasing Acts apply. Local authorities and charities should read Defra’s special guidance on their capacity to dedicate land, available at: 

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/cl/accessopen/accessopen07.htm