Electricity Wayleaves, Easements and Consents

'Wayleave' is an archaic term from the 19th century defined as "a privilege enabling a person to cross another person's land with infrastructure and with goods and chattels". It has been applied to electricity rights because of the need to string electricity lines across land. Electricity is such a fundamental part of life that its supply is often taken for granted. In reality, the rights for electricity lines are arguably the weakest of all utilities, with the vast majority covered by wayleaves.

Charles Hamer is a chartered surveyor and managing director of Hamer Associates Ltd, the country's leading specialist electricity wayleave consultancy Gary O'Brien qualified as a solicitor in 1985 and is a partner in the real estate litigation group at the national law firm, Eversheds LLP