Council bring couple to their knees
By A Scotland Correspondent
A COUPLE who are too tall for their house condemned councillors yesterday for refusing them permission to make it bigger.
Brian and Fiona Culbert, who are 6ft 10in and 6ft, can not stand up in their house in Lumphanan, Aberdeenshire. Mr Culbert, 36, a groundsman, has to get down on his hands and knees to shave or to get into the shower. Mrs Culbert, a social worker, has to stoop to reach the cooker and to do the dishes.
But their plans for an extension have been rejected by Aberdeenshire councillors who decided that the style of the building was not in keeping with the area and disputed claims that the application fell under its disability policy.
Mrs Culbert, 31, said: “Our health could be at risk if we’re not allowed to do something about the house. We don’t want a fancy extension; we just want somewhere that’s big enough for us to stand up in. It’s not much to ask.”
The Culberts realised their dream of moving into a remote farm steading three years ago. They bought goats, sheep and chickens and instantly fell in love with the pace of country life. They soon realised, however, that the house was not big enough.
They thought that an extension, with a square mansard roof which would allow them to stand up, was the answer. They waited 18 months for the development plans, which include a new bathroom, kitchen and utility room, to go through the planning process.
Mrs Culbert, who has two young sons, said: “If the boys take after us and shoot up in height we’re scuppered. We’re really settled here and don’t want to to leave but we’re going to have to come up with some kind of solution.”
Rosemary McIlwhan, director of the Scottish Centre for Human Rights, said that families had a right to enjoy their home. “The council needs to have a very good reason for not allowing this extension,” she said.
Councillor Marcus Humphrey, 6ft 2in and chairman of the Marr area committee, said: “We have sympathy but planning laws are planning laws. There are alternatives and the whole point is that these can be investigated and the couple can come back to us.”
Councillor Jenny Watson, the shortest committee member at 5ft, said that claims that the family’s application fell under the council’s disability policy were “stretching it a bit”.
“If I was 6ft 10in I wouldn’t have to take a run and jump for stuff in the supermarket rather than wait for somebody tall to come along and take it down. The world is made for tall people,” she said.
“I have a friend who is 6ft 7in and he’s never had a problem getting a house that’s big enough; you just buy a bigger house.”
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WTF -- surely there are minimum height standards in housing, and surely the ceiling can't be lower than 7 ft? Good thing we are not all as tall as Spod
By A Scotland Correspondent
A COUPLE who are too tall for their house condemned councillors yesterday for refusing them permission to make it bigger.
Brian and Fiona Culbert, who are 6ft 10in and 6ft, can not stand up in their house in Lumphanan, Aberdeenshire. Mr Culbert, 36, a groundsman, has to get down on his hands and knees to shave or to get into the shower. Mrs Culbert, a social worker, has to stoop to reach the cooker and to do the dishes.
But their plans for an extension have been rejected by Aberdeenshire councillors who decided that the style of the building was not in keeping with the area and disputed claims that the application fell under its disability policy.
Mrs Culbert, 31, said: “Our health could be at risk if we’re not allowed to do something about the house. We don’t want a fancy extension; we just want somewhere that’s big enough for us to stand up in. It’s not much to ask.”
The Culberts realised their dream of moving into a remote farm steading three years ago. They bought goats, sheep and chickens and instantly fell in love with the pace of country life. They soon realised, however, that the house was not big enough.
They thought that an extension, with a square mansard roof which would allow them to stand up, was the answer. They waited 18 months for the development plans, which include a new bathroom, kitchen and utility room, to go through the planning process.
Mrs Culbert, who has two young sons, said: “If the boys take after us and shoot up in height we’re scuppered. We’re really settled here and don’t want to to leave but we’re going to have to come up with some kind of solution.”
Rosemary McIlwhan, director of the Scottish Centre for Human Rights, said that families had a right to enjoy their home. “The council needs to have a very good reason for not allowing this extension,” she said.
Councillor Marcus Humphrey, 6ft 2in and chairman of the Marr area committee, said: “We have sympathy but planning laws are planning laws. There are alternatives and the whole point is that these can be investigated and the couple can come back to us.”
Councillor Jenny Watson, the shortest committee member at 5ft, said that claims that the family’s application fell under the council’s disability policy were “stretching it a bit”.
“If I was 6ft 10in I wouldn’t have to take a run and jump for stuff in the supermarket rather than wait for somebody tall to come along and take it down. The world is made for tall people,” she said.
“I have a friend who is 6ft 7in and he’s never had a problem getting a house that’s big enough; you just buy a bigger house.”
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WTF -- surely there are minimum height standards in housing, and surely the ceiling can't be lower than 7 ft? Good thing we are not all as tall as Spod
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