Evolving NLIS: Land Data’s successful Proof of Concept draws to a close

Land Data’s Proof-of-Concept (PoC) project to explore the feasibility of a new technical and regulatory Framework for Official Conveyancing Searches has come to a successful end. A future Framework would bring new data standards and protocols to the Official Searches market, increasing market efficiency, transparency and confidence. 

Following extensive market-wide research in early Spring, the PoC began in June with technical guidance from data expert Chris Lees, CEO at consultancy Data Clan and former government advisor.  

In summer 2025 Land Data chaired a series of discussions on aspects of the Framework with our sounding board group. This group was comprised of 25 representatives from search providers, data providers (including HMLR, local authorities and the Mining Remediation Authority), and local government IT suppliers, all of whom would be daily users of the Framework. We also spoke to others with a stake in the future of the market, including central government departments, finance sector representatives and data service providers. 

Topic areas for these sessions included architecture and XML translator options, the data model, schema evolution and API specifications.  

The PoC project identified these key points:  

• The Framework is technically viable and has the potential to use data standards and a first-of-its-kind data model to bring greater consistency and efficiency to Official Searches, scaling in time to the wider property market.   

  
  

• The Land Data team understands what is needed to migrate local authorities, data providers and IT providers to the new Framework with minimal disruption. 

• The independent nature of the Framework was hugely important to the sounding board group.   

• The technology allows search data to be increasingly digitised as it passes through the Framework, supporting Government’s long term digitisation targets and upfront information. 

The Land Data team is now having open discussions with potential early adopters of the Framework. We are giving a demonstration of the PoC platform in early October to all organisations who have engaged with us on our market research work, and/or who have been part of our PoC sounding board group. 

If you have any comments on this blog or the creation of a Framework for Official Searches please email me: fiona.barron@land-data.org.uk 

Photo by Kvalifik on Unsplash