Edward Cousins is an extremely experienced barrister and former Principal Judge of the Land Registration Division. He is able to provide advice on wide-ranging property issues and can also be retained as a Mediator.
Edward has held a number of significant judicial roles since his appointment to the part-time post of Chief Commons Commissioner in 2002 which role continued until 2008 when the post was abolished following the enactment of the Commons Act 2006. In September 2003 he was appointed by the Lord Chancellor to the newly created salaried full-time judicial role of Adjudicator to HM Land Registry established under the Land Registration Act 2002. As Adjudicator he dealt with land registration applications directed to disputes over issues of title. These involved the consideration of areas of land law ranging from beneficial interests and rights of way cases, boundary disputes and adverse possession claims.
In 2013, he was appointed as the Principal Judge of the Land Registration Division of the Property Chamber, following the integration of the jurisdiction into the Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal. In October 2014 he vacated his role as Principal Judge, since when he continued to sit for several years as a fee-paid judge in various part-time judicial roles.
Since joining Chambers Edward has drawn upon his wide-ranging expertise in property and land law, and land registration law. He has an intimate knowledge of the following areas of law, namely disputes over market rights, commons and town and village greens issues, and business and residential tenancies. In addition, Edward has wide experience in the fields of mortgage law, easements, and public and private rights of way, restrictive covenants, mines and minerals, compulsory purchase cases, and aspects of planning law and planning policy.
In 2016 Edward was appointed to the Panel of NPIERS as an Examiner, since when he has conducted many examinations of neighbourhood plans. He is also qualified as a non-statutory Inspector and has been retained in that role on a number of town and village green inquiries. Edward has acted in a number of property mediations and matters involving early neutral evaluation and other aspects of ADR.
In December 2019 Edward was appointed to the role of a Senior Planning Inspector specialising in the fields of commons and greens, rights of way and coastal access, and planning policy. He has recently vacated this role.
Edward is a practising Member of the Bar of Ireland. He is also a member of the Property Bar Association and an associate member of Institute of Public Rights of Way and Access Management (IPROW).
Edward’s recent work includes advising:
- market authorities on the removal of markets, the preservation of market rights and the disposal of market sites
- local authorities on the true interpretation and effect of Charter Rights granted by the Crown and the interplay between local Acts of Parliament and franchise rights
- private clients on land registration title issues, and on rights of common, and town and village green issues
- private clients on boundary disputes, ransom strip issues, issues relating to rights of way, and restrictive covenants.
- A leading foreign Embassy on its business tenancy in the context of the renewal of its lease.
