Case Study: Church Commissioners achieve digital mapping and secure mineral rights with Ordnance Survey

Church Commissioners - Customer Case Study

Church Commissioners, who manage the Church of England’s rural and mineral estates, faced the challenge of digitising around 105,000 acres of farmland and securing registration for circa 750,000 acres of mineral rights ahead of Land Registry deadlines. Their records were spread across worn paper maps and thousands of deeds, making title checks slow and error-prone; they therefore turned to Ordnance Survey geographic tools (OS MasterMap data under the Pan Government Agreement/PSMA) to modernise mapping and support large-scale submissions to HM Land Registry.

Using a six‑year GIS programme built on Ordnance Survey’s OS MasterMap (implemented as a bespoke system by consultant Infoterra at 1:1250 scale), the Commissioners created layered, centrally maintained digital maps showing ownership, tenancies, mineral reservations and deed references, with web access for 80+ users and external advisers. The work enabled successful Land Registry registration of surface and mineral titles, faster remapping and more efficient asset management, and delivered measurable savings (about £78,000 a year in licence fees under the PSMA) plus reduced time, legal fees and staff costs — all driven by the Ordnance Survey-based solution.

Church Commissioners

Richard Hodges

Rural Asset Manager