The Local Land Charges search reveals all information held on the statutory Local Land Charges Register, such as Tree Preservation Orders, Enforcement Notices, Legal Agreements (such as Section 52 or Section 106 agreements), Listed Building or Conservation Area notices, Public Health notices or any other document containing local authority imposed conditions or restrictions.

The Local Authority is the only source for an official certificated search. The Con29 forms used for searches are completed by our fully trained and experienced Local Land Charges staff.

A personal search can be carried out by the home mover themselves, or by a private personal search agent or company. With a personal search, the person undertaking the search has access to inspect the Local Land Charges Registers.

Our current search turnaround is just 1-2 working days from when we receive the request.

Making a request

The easiest and quickest way to submit a Local Authority Search is by sending us an email search request to landcharges@arun.gov.uk.

If you are submitting a search via email, please provide an Ordnance Survey Plan outlining the property. We will require you to send a  cheque for the required amount, made payable to Arun District Council. BACS payments can also be arranged. 

If you are sending your searches via post or DX, please also send the completed LLC1 and Con29 forms to Local Land Charges at the Arun Civic Centre, Maltravers Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 5LF.

If any of this information is missing, or the fee provided is incorrect, we will endeavour to contact you as soon as possible by phone or email so as to avoid unnecessary delay in returning the search results.

If you are submitting your search online via NLIS (National Land Information Service), the same information is required, and again we will contact you as soon as possible if any parts are incomplete or incorrect.

If a search has been received but not yet entered in our system it can be cancelled and the fee and search returned. After this time, it can be cancelled but with a fee of £45.

Common land searches

This is now covered by Q.22 on the Con29O Optional Enquiries form. If this is requested alongside a full search there is an extra fee of £9.30. For a stand-alone enquiry for Q22 only the fee is £33.30 (£9.30 plus an admin fee of £24.00)

Below are the current fees for Local Land Charge searches. All requests must be made in writing to Local Land Charges quoting a relevant search number. The discretionary element of search fees will be reviewed annually during the budget setting process of the Council’s Business System. Cheques should be made payable to Arun District Council. Client cheques will be accepted however these need to be indemnified by the submitter.

Arun District Council do not provide a postal service for copy planning documents unless the request is following an Official Local Land Charges Search. Written requests must be made to the Local Land Charges Department and the request must quote the Official Search Number (as found in the bottom left hand side of every page). Local Land Charges will charge for these documents in accordance with the Local Land Charges Fees table.

Personal callers will be able to purchase copies of documents which are not available to view on the Planning website, providing that they carry out their own research to identify the Planning Application Reference Number and the documents they require. This may involve searching through microfiche records and asking the receptionist to print out the required document. The reception staff will not identify the application reference numbers or the documents on the customer’s behalf. The reception staff will be able to direct customers to the web access computers where there are guidance notes on how to carry out a planning history search and how to view application details in order to be able to quote the references that are required. Alternatively you can access the planning Site using this link: Planning Services

If large quantities are required, the reception staff may not be able to copy these documents while you wait and in this case copies can either be forwarded to you by post or the receptionist can telephone you to advise when they are ready for collection.

Copies of Section 106 agreements, Tree Preservation Orders and other Registration Documents will not be copied while you wait as these documents are held in the Deed Store. Please write in to the Local Land Charges department to request copies of these documents quoting the Official Registration number found in your Official Search. Without this Reference Local Land Charges will be unable to identify the correct document and therefore will not be able to make a copy.

No copies will be provided from applications which were submitted after 1987 as these are accessible via the Planning Services website. It will also no longer be possible to purchase copies of Letters of Representation although they may still be viewed on the file or on the microfiche.

Site Histories cannot be purchased as customers can carry out their own research using the Address Search facility on the website. Where it is not possible to carry out an online search (for example on large areas of land) customers will have to carry out an Official Local Land Charges Search, asking for Full Site History to be collated, this will be done at no extra fee on top of the Official Search Fees.

All requests for copies of Building Regulations decision notices or completion certificates will have to be made in writing direct to Building Control.