‘Land pirate’ living on an ’empty’ farm is embroiled in a bitter land row with locals accused of dropping ’20 bales of rotten silage’ in a bid to get him to leave
- Neil Parker has lived on the ‘abandoned’ land in Ceredigion, Wales, for one year
- He has ‘no intention to leave’ unless someone provides some proof of ownership
A self-described ‘land pirate’ living on an ’empty farm’ is embroiled in a bitter row with locals who he accuses of dropping ’20 bales of rotten silage’ in a bid to get him to leave.
Former nurse Neil Parker, who is in his 60s, has been living on the ‘abandoned’ land in Ceredigion, Wales for a year. For years he has been building a database of hundreds of derelict buildings which he says the public could legally reclaim.
But the plot of land and buildings next to the A487 which he lives on is now locked in a fierce dispute with a farming family who claim ownership.
In April 2022, he occupied the patch of land and has maintained a presence there ever since – but it has drawn furious objection from a neighbouring family who claims the land belongs to them.
Mr Parker says one local has moved his car, caravan and other property and blocked access with 20 bales of raw silage. He said: ‘My position is very clear. If they have no proof of ownership, then I don’t intend to leave.
Neil Parker, a self-described ‘land pirate’ living on an ’empty farm’ is embroiled in a bitter row with locals who he accuses of dropping ’20 bales of rotten silage’ in a bid to get him to leave
The former nurse, who is in his 60s, has been living on the ‘abandoned’ land in Ceredigion, Wales for a year. For years he has been building a database of hundreds of derelict buildings which he says the public could legally reclaim
‘Their interest in this land only seems to have been sparked by my presence. In the absence of evidence, they seem to think that force and bullying will achieve the desired result.’
He says he was confronted by a short-tempered farmer days after he took possession of the land.
The owner of nearby farm told the Cambrian News that Mr Parker had caused ‘misery’ for her and the village.
One local has presented a will from 1969 that states the land was left to them by their grandfather.
But Mr Parker says it is not evidence of ownership – and the family hasn’t processed the necessary documentation with the Land Registry.
He claims he was subjected to a campaign of intimidation from villagers – with horns being sounded as cars drove by and strangers filming him and abusing him as he worked on the land.
Neil says he had a year of being ‘essentially undisturbed’ until a local farmer tried to evict him.
Mr Parker said: ‘Without any warning he removed a caravan, car and other property – causing criminal damage, and blocked any access with 20 bales of rotten silage.
But the plot of land and buildings next to the A487 which he lives on is now locked in a fierce dispute with a farming family who claim ownership. In April 2022, he occupied the patch of land and has maintained a presence there ever since – but it has drawn furious objection from a neighbouring family who claims the land belongs to them
Neil says one local has moved his car, caravan and other property and blocked access with 20 bales of raw silage. He said: ‘My position is very clear. If they have no proof of ownership, then I don’t intend to leave’
He says he was confronted by a short-tempered farmer days after he took possession of the land. The owner of nearby farm told the Cambrian News that Mr Parker had caused ‘misery’ for her and the village (pictured, the dumped silage on the land)
‘The farmer would get irritable very quickly and was obviously very unhappy – and to be fair they think they’re being deprived of something, so it’s not unreasonable.
‘But I make it clear to landowners to go and get legal advice because what I’m doing is well within the law.
‘People need land and people need properties and those who own them need to be prepared to do the work and put effort into deriving societal benefit from them.
‘The reason the adverse possession statute remains is to allow people to take over bits of land that have been abandoned and for good reason – it’s there for a purpose.’
Mr Parker has the eventual goal of clearing the area to plant trees.
His website reads like a manifesto for squatters and land pirates – and he explains exactly what the public needs to do to take adverse possession of a property.
According to the Land Registration Act 2002, an unlisted site can fall into someone’s possession after 12 years if they can demonstrate they are present and working on the land.
A member of the family that say they own the farm says she is in the process of registering the land and slammed delays at the Land Registry.
She said: ‘We are extremely disappointed that this individual has inflicted so much unnecessary stress on us as a family, when we are the lawful owners of the land.
One local has presented a will from 1969 that states the land was left to them by their grandfather. But Mr Parker says it is not evidence of ownership – and the family hasn’t processed the necessary documentation with the Land Registry
He claims he was subjected to a campaign of intimidation from villagers – with horns being sounded as cars drove by and strangers filming him and abusing him as he worked on the land
‘The land was inherited to me from my grandfather and has been part of our family for generations.
‘It may be unregistered but the title deeds are firmly within our possession.
‘We urge all landowners to be extra vigilant of individuals like Mr Parker, who have no moral conscience and will exploit legal loopholes to gain possession of property which is rightly owned by law abiding citizens.’
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