SoLR Update
- Simon Harth
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
April 2025
This month we share updates from our Standards & Ethics, Carers and Community Sub-Committees, our upcoming events and how to catch-up with past events. We also share an obituary to a long standing land referencer, who many of our members crossed path with over the years. Whether you knew Vince or not, we hope you enjoy reading about his passion for land referencing and how fondly he is remembered.
It is with much sadness that we share the passing of Vince Collier. He was not only a long-serving and valued member of the TerraQuest Team but also an inexhaustible source of Land Referencing knowledge to everyone who were fortunate enough to work with him.
In a career of over 55 years, leaving school saw Vince begin an association with maps and cartography that would capture his interest for the rest of his life. The visualisation, measurement and creation of records of the landscape around him began on the hills in and around Haltwhistle, culminating in a position as a Land Surveyor and Cartographic Draughtsman with the Ordnance Survey. Here he learned the power of a well-drawn map together with their limitations and their idiosyncrasies.
By the mid 1970’s this passion for maps and the natural environment led him to join academia as a mature student at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was to study Geography and Geology, eventually specialising in Geology for his BSc. Attending his local University allowed him to continue his other passions of playing in the local Northumberland cricket leagues in the summer and the Carlisle and Northumberland soccer leagues in the winter. His love of both sports was boundless, and he would accept any opportunity to discuss all things relating to Test cricket, Durham CCC or Malcolm McDonald for as long as the refreshments kept coming.
On leaving University in 1979 he returned to the world of employment, eager to use his newly acquired skills and signed up as a Senior Land Surveyor with Geosource Limited. The world of geophysical exploration took Vince off to deepest Africa, and numerous challenging locations around the Middle East and feeding a travel and exploration bug that stayed with him for many years.
Ten years after leaving University, Vince was back in the UK and joined TerraQuest as a bright-eyed surveyor and trainee referencer. A position that suited him down to the ground. His familiarity with maps and plans proved a sound base to build the nuances of land registration and Compulsory Purchase activities upon. Learning the basics on a series of Private Parliamentary Bills and CPO regimes, Vince showed an immediate aptitude for the work.
A diligent record keeper, Vince retained all his yearly desk dairies completed over the years and was always happy to note an entry for 2nd June 1989 inviting him to attend a meeting on the proposed Crossrail route across London. Whilst Vince provided technical and managerial input to such high-profile projects as Heathrow T5, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, extensions to the Jubilee Line and East London Lines, BAA Stansted G2 and HS2, the Crossrail project became a particular favourite.
From those early discussions in 1989, he was ultimately responsible for the technical content of three Parliamentary Bill submissions including the final submission together with four subsequent additional provisions. Mike Crowther remembers one particular memory that stands out as a testament to that:
“During my time as Land Referencing Area Manager on the Crossrail project, I was responsible for a vast section stretching from Acton out to Reading and Acton up through Buckinghamshire. One day, as I was traveling by train to conduct referencing checks and site visits, I looked out of the window and caught sight of someone walking alongside the tracks. As we got closer, I realised—it was Vince.
There he was, walking the cess, with trains passing in both directions. While most would rely on maps, reports, and second-hand accounts, Vince believed in seeing things firsthand. He had a QA role across the entire project, and in true Vince fashion, he didn’t just review from a distance—he walked the whole route, step by step, along the railway tracks.”
Vince went on to provide technical support to the post Royal Assent activities, setting the standard for referencing service deliverables throughout the land acquisition and land access stages of the project. Such was his interest in seeing the project through to completion, Vince was known to have spent at least one of his Bank Holidays “walking the Crossrail route” just to see what had been done.
Vince was associated with the Crossrail project for some 23 years, and along the way he supported and inspired a generation of land referencers at TerraQuest, and other firms, who had the privilege of learning from his knowledge, experience and down to earth approach to the challenge. Mark Aanensen recalls meeting Vince while working on the Crossrail Project:
“I first came across Vince while working on Crossrail in the mid-2000s (my colleague David Walker first encountered him working on private bills in the 1980s!), while he was working for Terraquest on the central section and I was working for Mouchel on the outer section of the project. I was always amazed by Vince’s encyclopaedic knowledge of land interests in central London. Someone would ask about a building and Vince would not only name all the Interests, off the top of his head, but would also let you know the Security guards name! I sat on the other side of the room in awe, we didn’t know that level of detail, but we needed to. Vince improved the level of land referencing and since that I have always believed that that’s the level that land referencing should be at. Not just relying on sending out LIQs and desktop research, but getting out there and knowing the lay of the land and the interests.”
Vince became a font of Land Referencing knowledge and common sense when dealing with the vagaries of the compulsory purchase process, all delivered with that beguiling Geordie accent that he never quite lost.
He was a kind and generous man who typified the “work hard, play hard” philosophy of his upbringing in the Northeast. Often appearing quiet and reserved he would never be the loudest in the room, but when he had something to say, everyone in the room stopped to listen.
Our thoughts are with Vince’s family and friends during this difficult time. For those who knew him, you are encouraged to share your memories and celebrate the legacy he leaves behind. He will be sadly missed but fondly remembered.
Details of Vince’s funeral are as follows:Date & Time: Monday 7th April, at 2:30 PMLocation: Rowley Regis Crematorium, Powke Lane, Rowley Regis, B65 0ADA wake will be held afterward from 4:00 PM at:The Brasshouse Public House, 44 Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2HP
Careers
This month's careers spotlight has been provided by Maddi La Porte who describes the unique synergy between land referencing and stakeholder engagement from her perspective as an engagement consultant. Maddi has included some great tips and tricks, describing coding in layman's terms and telling us how we can optimise engagement workflows. Give Maddi's video a watch and a like.
Standards & Ethics
SoLR seeks support for formal responses to industry consultations
The submission of industry consultations is led by the SoLR Standards & Ethics Committee which maintains a lookout for relevant industry consultations. If you spot one you think SoLR should consider or would like to get involved in the development of a specific industry consultations on behalf of SoLR please contact chair@SoLR.org.uk.
SoLR is currently considering the following consultations and is seeking volunteers to contribute, as per SoLR’s policy (see https://www.solr.org.uk/policy):
Land Use Consultation - Defra - Citizen Space Consultation on land use. The consultation closes on 25 April 2025.
Planning Reform Working Paper: Streamlining Infrastructure Planning - GOV.UK. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is inviting responses to their policy paper. This is not a formal consultation and there is no deadline but given the contents, SoLR wishes to express views
Land Referencing Standards – progress
The SoLR Standards & Ethics Committee has been developing technical standards for land referencing practice. This has proven an involved and time-consuming exercise involving a significant commitment of time from the Committee members. The Standards they are developing are not intended to be a methodology. Instead they aim to provide an agreed standard of outputs that any professional land referencing methodology ought to deliver. Concentrating on those standards that relate universally (i.e. not those that are specific to a particular jurisdiction of specific statutory process), the Standards & Ethics Committee aims to publish a first draft for internal review this summer.
The next stage of the development of the Land Referencing Standards will be to develop standards that are applicable for the specific procedures that apply in the regional jurisdictions of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. Anyone experienced land referencing practitioners wishing to pt themselves forward for getting involved in the development of these standards, which we anticipate commencing in towards the end of this year, is encouraged to contact the Chair of the SoLR Standards & Ethics Committee, Ashley Parry Jones.
Compulsory Purchase & Land Assembly for Major Infrastructure Event
Chris Simpson (SoLR co-founder and Board Director) speaking at the Waterfront Conference - Land Assembly and Compulsory Purchase for Major Infrastructure 2025
We are delighted to support this event again this year and that SoLR has been invited to speak at the Land Assembly and Compulsory Purchase for Major Infrastructure 2025 on 1st May at Burges Salmon, London. Chris Simpson will be part of a panel discussing how to increasing the level of knowledge in the sector and managing the skills and recruitment needed to carry out the pipeline of projects. Chris is looking forward to engaging and networking with industry professionals at the event, and taking the opportunity to raise the profile of land referencing.
Members can register here and use code CP25SPK to get an exclusive 20% discount on tickets.
Community
Clean Air Day | Action for Clean Air - Please follow the link to this website to find out about why as a committee we put on a clear air week each year and the importance of it for our environment.
Joshua Brown will be running this year's Brighton Marathon on the 06 April 2025. He will be running for Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare - Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare who are a local rehoming and animal welfare charity local to the event. Raystede actively involves the community by offering educational programs and volunteering opportunities, allowing individuals to contribute their time and skills to support animal welfare. This fosters collaboration and inclusivity, aligning with their mission to promote equality and diversity. Their efforts have both short-term and long-term impacts, as they address immediate animal welfare needs while also educating the public to create a more compassionate society. These initiatives not only benefit the animals but also strengthen community ties and raise awareness about responsible pet ownership.
Upcoming Events
Catch-up:
Landowner Engagement | Delivering Difficult Messages
In an industry where ‘soft’ skills are just as important as technical prowess, this webinar will be an invaluable experience for those in the land referencing industry.
Can you contribute to the SoLR newsletter?
We'd love to share your professional experiences, insights and endeavours. Get in touch: hello@solr.org.uk
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