NRS-20387 | Examining Survey Reports [Land and Property Information]

Full description

Examining Survey reports are documented evidence of an investigation to check a particular Deposited Plan. A Deposited Plan defines the legal boundaries of land.

Although there is no specific legislation, Examining Surveys, also referred to as Check Surveys, are undertaken by staff surveyors to check registered Deposited Plans where a requirement for investigation or checking has been identified. This may be due to a boundary difference or to check for accuracy and completeness of a survey plan prior to lodgement. Notations are made over the original details as part of the examination. The information contained on the Examining Surveys relates to the function of investigation or audit although this does not mean that the survey details alone indicate the outcome of the survey investigation.

Deposited Plan numbers from the 400000 series were allocated to identify examining surveys as available for public viewing whereas access to Examining Surveys that were allocated Deposited Plan numbers from the 900000 series required the permission of the Examining or Principal Surveyor or nominated staff member.

The first year of Examining Surveys to be allocated a Deposited Plan number was in 1925. Although Examining Surveys were allocated Deposited Plan numbers, and although the two types of plans are closely related, the Examining Surveys is a separate series of records to the Deposited Plans. Not all Deposited Plans are subject to this kind of examination and the investigative function used in preparing Examining Surveys is different to the process of examining Deposited Plans used by Plan Examiners for the purpose of plan registration. Further, not all Examining Surveys are allocated a Deposited Plan number.

The reports contain the original instruction or notes as to why the report was required, along with related correspondence. The classification is prefaced with ‘ESR’, Examining Survey Report, followed by the year of the report and a sequential number, for example, ESR/1918/42-56.

In September 2002 the manual updating of all Land and Property Information paper maps was discontinued. All notations, status and subdivisional changes are made in the Integrated Titling System (ITS) and the Digital Cadastral Database (DCDB). All charting information regarding subdivision and status changes since September 2002 is provided to the public through the Cadastral Records Enquiry (CRE) also known as the Property Location Map. (1)

End notes
1. NSW Government, NSW Land & Property Information, Searching the Registrar General’s Maps and Plans, March 2013, p. 21 http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/150706/Searching_RG_Maps_Plans.pdf