Plot size diagram
The PLOT SIZE plate colours HM Land Registry title polygons in 5 bands by area.
Overview
LAND REGISTRY PLOTS draws title polygons as lines. With lines alone, telling where land is finely divided and where one title covers a whole block means comparing line density by eye. PLOT SIZE colours the same polygons by area.
PLOT SIZE uses the same data as LAND REGISTRY PLOTS (HM Land Registry INSPIRE Index Polygons) and nothing else.
Plot size is the size of the development unit. Areas of 100 m² titles and areas of 3,000 m² titles differ in the buildings that fit, in what cannot be done without assembling titles, and in how change happens.
How to use
- Compare the band of the site with the bands around it. A site larger than its neighbours is often an assembled site or public land
- See which band dominates around the site: small titles mean change title by title or by assembly; large titles mean single schemes
- Look at edges where the band changes sharply. They often follow an estate boundary or a main road
Method
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Data | HM Land Registry INSPIRE Index Polygons (freehold registered titles, updated monthly) |
| Area | Measured from the polygon in British National Grid (EPSG:27700). The source has no registered area field |
| Bands | 100 · 300 · 1,000 · 3,000 m² (5 bands) |
| Blank | Land with no freehold title in the data: most streets, unregistered land |
| Note on the plate | Number of title polygons, median area, band limits and «indicative extent, not legal boundaries» |
Area bands
| Band | Typical content in central London |
|---|---|
| Under 100 m² | Single terrace houses and shops, flats sold as separate freeholds |
| 100–300 m² | Terrace houses with gardens, small buildings |
| 300–1,000 m² | Mansion blocks, small office buildings |
| 1,000–3,000 m² | Office buildings, hotels, schools |
| 3,000 m² or more | Institutions, estates, railway land, large schemes |
The bands are the same as in the Korean, Japanese and Spanish editions. They are not a planning threshold.
Overlapping titles
In London the same land is often registered as separate freeholds stacked above each other (for example a building above a railway or a basement under a street), and their polygons overlap. Before drawing, polygons that are almost the same shape (area ratio 0.9–1.11 and overlap of at least 95%) are reduced to the larger one. Polygons that overlap only in part are both kept. In the Bloomsbury sample about 11% of polygon area still overlaps. Where they overlap, the smaller title is drawn on top.
Very large titles
One institution or estate can hold a whole block under one title. In the 800 m Bloomsbury sample the British Museum is about 6 ha, UCL about 4.7 ha and the King's Cross development about 11.2 ha, each as one polygon. A few such titles take a large share of the circle, so the darkest band covers more area than its count suggests.
Limitations
- INSPIRE polygons show the indicative extent of a registered title. Registered titles in England and Wales have general boundaries; the polygons are not legal boundaries and not survey data
- Only freehold titles are drawn. Leasehold interests, which often divide a building, are not shown
- The plate does not show ownership. Neighbouring titles held by the same owner are not merged, and the data has no owner field
- Titles registered or changed after the monthly release appear in the next release
For boundaries, title plans and owners, use HM Land Registry title documents or a measured survey.
Data sources
- HM Land Registry INSPIRE Index Polygons (Open Government Licence v3.0). This information is subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 and is reproduced with the permission of HM Land Registry. The polygons (including the associated geometry, namely x, y co-ordinates) are subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey AC0000851063.
Related guides
Example plates: This information is subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 and is reproduced with the permission of HM Land Registry. The polygons (including the associated geometry, namely x, y co-ordinates) are subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey AC0000851063.