Leicestershire couple lose claim to land used for driveway access

Engineer Piers Connor and his partner, Professor Christine Pasquire, have lost a legal bid to claim a strip of land used by their driveway in Hunters Rise, Leicestershire. The ruling leaves their paved entrance at risk of being removed, although the judge said the dispute was really about access and that claiming ownership was probably the wrong application.

The couple built the driveway in 2017 to connect their home and horse paddock, and wanted a 4.5ft-wide wedge to make vehicle access easier. Connor argued that paving the land and driving over it gave him ownership rights, but the tribunal found that use since 2017 fell short of the ten years required for a claim based on continuous use. The judge also said laying stones and driving across the strip did not establish ownership.