For info. Talking via Facebook and the Reviewer’s Tea Bar, as I was getting no answers on the Groundspeak forums;
Simon Avery
What’s the official line on the “possible” MOD ban, and does it apply to land owned by the mod, or land owned and used by the mod?
Like · · Unfollow Post · Share · Friday at 17:50
Karen Vernon likes this.
Chris Dale Please see the article about the MOD in the UK Geocaching Wiki : https://wiki.groundspeak.com/display/GEO/United+Kingdom+Landowner+Agreements#UnitedKingdomLandownerAgreements-mod
United Kingdom Landowner Agreements – Geocaching.com Wiki – Groundspeak Wiki
wiki.groundspeak.com
This database contains a list of landowners and managers who approve of geocachi…See more
21 hours ago · Like
Simon Avery Thank you. Next question; Who do I talk to about an area that has been included in error in these maps?
19 hours ago · Like
Simon Evans You would need to provide your local reviewer with written confirmation from the landowner and MOD to confirm that the MOD do not use this land and that there is an error with the mapping. Without this a cache in this area would not be published.
18 hours ago via mobile · Like
Simon Avery Thanks again, but “use this land” is not the same as “own this land”. I don’t think it is within anyone’s remit to ban geocaching on another landowner’s property and certainly not within the groundspeak guidelines. Can you confirm you meant “own this land”?
18 hours ago · Like
Chris Dale The MOD announced the ban on MOD Estate land (land they own). They have so far not provided anyone (certainly not us reviewers) with any maps of the Estate land. The areas shown on the Google map are just training areas and ranges the MOD may own but certainly use that we’ve been able to identify. If some of these are not owned by the MOD but rented from landowners we do not know what the terms of any ‘rental agreement’ are. It may be the MOD consider the land to be ‘theirs’, for their use and all their rules and regulations may apply. It may be that the landowner can control what goes on there. The MOD ‘may’ consider the geocaching ban extends to such land. We have erred on the side of caution and until such time as a landowner AND the MOD confirm to us geocaching on such land is OK we will continue to refuse caches there. At the moment we reviewers are not working directly with the MOD to resolve this because that is being done by the GAGB and we will of course provide any such help that we can.
13 hours ago · Like
Simon Avery Thank you, this is the most information I have yet received!
I appreciate and can even agree to a hiatus while this is absorbed and ratified (provided no existing caches are archived that are already on these lands) for a period.
However – my point will remain that the Groundspeak rules specify landowners, not land users – and if it can be proven that any land marked as restricted by a ban by the MOD is not owned by them, they *cannot* influence Groundspeak and the Reviewer’s decisions unless they persuade the landowner to object on their behalf. If the reviewers or GAGB act differently to this, they are breaching Groundspeak’s own rules.
A few seconds ago · Like
