Who was it having the planning issues a while back?

[DaveB]

Timeline: Farmer's 'hidden castle' battle - BBC News

A farmer who built a mock-Tudor castle without planning permission has been found in contempt of court after failing to knock it down.
Robert Fidler, from Salfords, in Surrey, has managed to prevent the destruction of his house since it was revealed in 2006.
He has received a three-month suspended sentence and has been ordered to knock it down by 6 June 2016.

[greenlake]

Oldham council bosses say Wendy house must be pulled down | Daily Mail Online

[BrilloPad]

http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...-planners.html

So the other end of the country....

[rl4engc]

You have to feel for the guy - plenty of people build stuff and then apply for retrospective permission. What he's done is build a brilliant looking house right in the middle of a big farm i.e. it's not to the detrement of anything/anyone.

Meanwhile there's plenty of planning battles going all the way to the Supreme Court, for people who like to drive blinged up vans and trade in metals, who've built scruffy sites in the middle of the countryside..

Is it a case of "you've not demolished it, so here's a 3 month sentence, case closed" or are they gonna be on his back till it is demolished?

[DaveB]

You have to feel for the guy - plenty of people build stuff and then apply for retrospective permission. What he's done is build a brilliant looking house right in the middle of a big farm i.e. it's not to the detrement of anything/anyone.

Meanwhile there's plenty of planning battles going all the way to the Supreme Court, for people who like to drive blinged up vans and trade in metals, who've built scruffy sites in the middle of the countryside..

Is it a case of "you've not demolished it, so here's a 3 month sentence, case closed" or are they gonna be on his back till it is demolished?

He was turned down for planning permission to begin with, so went aead and built it anyway, and deliberately hid it to try and circumvent the planning process. Was caught out and told to demolish itn twice and didn't so now has been convicted of contempt and given untill december to knock it down or go to jail.

[OwlHoot]

You have to feel for the guy - plenty of people build stuff and then apply for retrospective permission. What he's done is build a brilliant looking house right in the middle of a big farm i.e. it's not to the detrement of anything/anyone. ...

The way things are going it's to the detrement of anyone who in a few years time wants to eat!

I mean I sympathise with the guy a bit. But if everyone was allowed to build on agricultural land there soon wouldn't be a scrap of it left, and God knows there's already only 40% of the amount required for the UK to be self-sufficient in food.

[BrilloPad]

The way things are going it's to the detrement of anyone who in a few years time wants to eat!

I mean I sympathise with the guy a bit. But if everyone was allowed to build on agricultural land there soon wouldn't be a scrap of it left, and God knows there's already only 40% of the amount required for the UK to be self-sufficient in food.

And building more property might mean an end to the housing Ponzi scheme....

[d000hg]

You have to feel for the guy - plenty of people build stuff and then apply for retrospective permission. What he's done is build a brilliant looking house right in the middle of a big farm i.e. it's not to the detrement of anything/anyone.

I wouldn't describe it as brilliant looking. It looks like a pair of balls.