A 999-year lease, under historic common law, is an essentially permanent lease of property. The lease locations are mainly in Britain, its former colonies, and the Commonwealth.
A former colony, the Republic of Mauritius (The Raphael Fishing Company Ltd v. The State of Mauritius & Anor (Mauritius) [2008] UKPC 43 (30 July 2008)) established legal precedent on 30 July 2008 in respect of a 1901 'permanent lease' on the Thirteen Islands of St. Brandon (Cargados Carajos) which were adjudged as being a permanent grant by the Privy Council. [1] [2]
Leased item | Type | Place | Year term | Lease/permanent grant by | Leased to | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shannonville, Ontario | Town | Hastings County, Ontario | 1818–2817 | Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation | Turton Penn, later the municipality of Tyendinaga, Ontario | The townsite and an additional 200 acres were leased from the Mohawks for 3 tonnes of flour a year, which was paid annually into the late 20th century |
The Crystal Palace | Private seats | London, England | 1851–2850 | Joseph Paxton | Seat holders/owners | Cost of building venue financed by the sale of seats for £100 |
Queen's Park | Parkland | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 1859–2858 | University of Toronto | Province of Canada | Park is now home to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Originally leased to City of Toronto, the Government of Ontario now owns the land where the Legislature resides. [3] |
Point Pleasant Park | Park | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | 1866–2865 | British Crown | City of Halifax, Nova Scotia | Park was owned by British government as it was military site in 1860s and transferred to Government of Canada. |
Royal Albert Hall | Private boxes | London, England | 1871–2870 | The Corporation of the Hall of Arts and Sciences | Seat holders/owners | Financed by selling seats and boxes |
Post Office | Building | North Melbourne | 1882–2881 | City of Melbourne | Australia Post | [4] |
Ontario & Quebec Railway | Railway | Eastern Ontario and Quebec, Canada | 1884–2883 | Canadian Pacific | Owners of the OQR | Now owned by St Lawrence & Hudson Railway, a subsidiary of the CPR |
Mullaperiyar Dam | Dam and water | Cardamom Hills, Kerala, India | 1886–2885 | Maharaja of Travancore, Visakham Thirunal From 1949 State of Travancore-Cochin From 1956 Government of Kerala | British Secretary of State for Periyar River Irrigation From 1947 Madras State From 1969 Government of Tamil Nadu | The lease was made after 24 years of negotiation. |
WACA Ground | Stadium | Perth, Western Australia | 1889–2888 | Government of Western Australia | Western Australian Cricket Association | Land reclaimed from the Swan River |
Commonwealth Institute building site | Property | London, England | 1951–2950 | Holland Estate | Commonwealth Institute | |
Pusey House | Building | Oxford, England | 1981–2980 | Oxford University | Excludes the chapel | |
Inverhuron Provincial Park | Park | Inverhuron, Ontario | 1973–2972 | Ontario Hydro | Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario) | Lease now controlled by Bruce Power |
Hampshire CCC | Land | Hampshire, England | 1996–2995 | Queen's College, Oxford [5] | Hampshire County Cricket Club | Former farmland |
U.S. Consulate General, Hong Kong | Building | Hong Kong | 1999–2998 | City of Hong Kong [6] | Government of the United States | Formerly on a 75-year lease with 26 years left |
Millennium Dome | Building and surrounding land | London, England | 2001–3000 | UK Government | Quintain and Lendlease | |
Stanley Park Stadium | Association football stadium | Liverpool, England | 2006–3005 | Liverpool City Council | Liverpool Football Club | Proposed replacement for Anfield, home to Liverpool F.C. |
St. Brandon (Cargados Carajos) | 13 Islands in the St. Brandon Archipelago | St. Brandon, Mauritius | 2008–3007 | Government of Mauritius | Raphaël Fishing Company | The thirteen islands of St. Brandon (Cargados Carajos), Mauritius, were converted from a 1901 permanent lease (999-year lease) to a permanent grant by the Privy Council (United Kingdom) in 2008. [7] The islands on Permanent Grant are l'île du Sud (l'île Boisée), Petit Fou, Avocaré Island, l'île aux Fous, l'île du Gouvernement, Petit Mapou, Grand Mapou, La Baleine, L'Île Coco, Île Raphael, Île Verronge, l'île aux Bois and Baleines Rocks. |
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The Mascarene Islands or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of La Réunion. Their name derives from the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, who first visited them in April 1512. The islands share a common geological origin beneath the Mascarene Plateau known as the Mauritia microcontinent which was a Precambrian microcontinent situated between India and Madagascar until their separation about 70 million years ago. They form a distinct ecoregion with unique biodiversity and endemism of flora and fauna.
Saint Brandon, also known as the Cargados Carajos Shoals, is a southwest Indian Ocean archipelago of sand banks, shoals and islets belonging to the Republic of Mauritius. It lies about 430 km (270 mi) northeast of the island of Mauritius. It consists of five island groups, with about 28-40 islands and islets in total, depending on seasonal storms and related sand movements.
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The wildlife of Mauritius consists of its flora and fauna. Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar. Due to its isolation, it has a relatively low diversity of wildlife; however, a high proportion of these are endemic species occurring nowhere else in the world. Many of these are now threatened with extinction because of human activities including habitat destruction and the introduction of non-native species. Some have already become extinct, most famously the dodo which disappeared in the 17th century.
A 99-year lease was, under historic common law, the longest possible term of a lease of real property. It is no longer the law in most common law jurisdictions today, yet 99-year leases continue to be common as a matter of business practice and conventional wisdom.
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Île Raphael is an island in the Saint Brandon archipelago, a group of 30 outer islands of Mauritius. The island is named after Veuve Raphaël. Veuve Raphaël's husband was a sea captain and had installations on the corner of rue (route) des Pamplemousses and rue Fanfaron in Port Louis. Captain Raphaël travelled regularly to Île Raphael, St Brandon from Port Louis and, on 17 May 1816 and November 1817, is on record as bringing back salted fish on a Lugger called 'Le Cheriby'. Île Raphaël is today the headquarters and principal fishing base of the Raphael Fishing Company which is the second oldest commercial company in Mauritius.
L'île du Sud is an island located in the St. Brandon archipelago. It is one of the three islands used as a base of operations for fishing activities by Raphael Fishing Company, the only resident fishing company in the Cargados Carajos shoals under a 1901 contract with the government of Mauritius.
A 999-year lease, under historic common law, is a permanent lease of property. Permanent lease locations are in Britain, its former colonies and the Commonwealth. A former colony, the Republic of Mauritius established legal precedent on 30 July 2008 in respect of a 1901 'permanent lease' on the following islands of St. Brandon :
L'Île Coco is one of the longest islands adjoining the inner lagoon of the St. Brandon archipelago. It is at times inhabited by fishermen as a base for the resident fishing company's fishing activities as well as for fly fishing and fly-casting activities.
Île Verronge is one of circa thirty isles, island and sandbars that is part of the St. Brandon archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It is constitutionally designated, under Mauritian law, as one of the outer islands of Mauritius.
The Raphaël Fishing Company Ltd is a Mauritian fishing company incorporated on 7 July 1927 in Port Louis, Mauritius. It is the second oldest commercial company in Mauritius, after Mauritius Commercial Bank (1828).