UK Derbyshire- Map clue leads to concealed house

**dirtydog** · 08-11-2008, 12:04 AM

Map clue leads to concealed house

An illegally-built house which was hidden inside a barn to avoid planning rules has been demolished.

Officials found an occupied two-storey stone house with a lounge, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom behind a façade of corrugated iron and wood.

They were tipped off when they were anonymously sent a map which showed the area near Whatstandwell in Derbyshire arrowed and marked "House in Barn!"

The owner had been served with a notice to remove the building by Monday.

Court action

It is not known when the house on Longway Bank near Whatstandwell was built but the tip-off was received about a year ago.

Planning officers from Derbyshire Dales District Council said they hoped their action sent out a message that breaches of planning laws would be dealt with.

The council's head of planning services Paul Wilson added: "We suspect the owner of this property intended to occupy his house inside the barn for four years and then remove the shield thinking he had successfully side-stepped the need for planning permission.
"Unfortunately for him, this would not have been the case, as the High Court has recently ruled that the four-year period for planning exemption only starts when any shielding construction has been removed."

The owner of the house declined to comment.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Derbyshire | Map clue leads to concealed house

**jandajoy** · 08-11-2008, 12:07 AM

Bastard dobber, tell tales. As if it mattered. The shed was there, he/she /they lived in it. Fokin UK needs bombing.

**Texpat** · 08-11-2008, 12:18 AM

Putz Pommie kuntz couldn't find a bomb if it was in their ass.

They found a fake house -- FUCKING HELL, I hope they're proud of themselves.

Idiots, one and all.

**AntRobertson** · 08-11-2008, 01:46 AM

^Glug, glug, glug...

Oh dear, the lightweight Yank's been at the beers again. Someone really ought to tell him 1/2 a bottle's his limit.

**Spin** · 08-11-2008, 01:51 AM

Presumably the newly homeless owner of that house will be filling out his housing benefit claim form and will be juicing the government for circa 600 gpb per month for accomodation.

Splendid!

**Thormaturge** · 08-11-2008, 05:51 AM

So the authorities were happy with a corrugated iron and wood barn, but not with a stone house.

They'll be giving owls mortgages next.

**keda** · 08-11-2008, 07:26 AM

all of the above...bunch of sickos with nothing better to do but enforce tinpot blanket laws with no common sense or expediency clause for individual conditions.

**melvbot** · 08-11-2008, 08:53 AM

Sorry but you need planning permission to build a house. They tried to be crafty and got caught out. If my mums neighbour decided to build another storey on top of their house I'd want to them to be consulted first, not just wake up and have a four storey house suddenly being built next to them.

My dad has to jump through hoops with his business over things like planning permission so tough shit to them, they tried, got caught out and new what would happen if they got caught.

If these "tinpot blanket laws" werent in place would you be happy someone building a house on the land next to yours without being consulted beforehand or your neighbour extending their house right to the boundary and building an extension to their house that blocked out your windows?

Planning permission is there for a reason.

It wasnt a fake house, it was a house illegally concealed in a barn.

**Thormaturge** · 08-11-2008, 09:41 AM

^
Yes, that's the point. There was already a structure there (the barn) so the house would not have been any larger than the barn containing it. This dispute is simply about the type of structure, not whether there should be one.

Living in Thailand you become used to the concept that some petty official cannot dictate idiotic terms to you. It is refreshing at times, especially when I read nonsense like this.

Are councils doing a "snitch on a friend" reward system now?

**melvbot** · 08-11-2008, 09:57 AM

The video mentioned that the area is a world heritage site.

Should people just be allowed to start throwing up houses on green belt land and demolishing listed bulidings ?

The size of the house is irrelevant, you need planning permission to build in the UK. Plain and simple.

**Thormaturge** · 08-11-2008, 10:08 AM

^
It is the ability of petty officials to dictate to people that is irritating most people here.

Unless your name is Donald Trump that is, and you want to build on a Site of Special Scientific interest. Maybe you don't need planning permission to build golf resorts on SSI's....? Looks like the poor old Eider ducks will have to take up golf if they want somewhere to live.

Planning regulations are just there to give petty officials something to do. Those with money can always get around them.

**melvbot** · 08-11-2008, 10:29 AM

I dont see this as being petty. If someone wants to convert a barn into a house they need to apply for a change of use. This guy thought he could build his house on land that is a world heritage site and get away with it by concealing it as a barn.

If this were allowed to stand it would set a precedent for anyone anywhere to build what they want where they want.

**Thormaturge** · 08-11-2008, 12:07 PM

^
But people can build anywhere they want, if they have the money. It has nothing to do with the UK's heritage. If the owner was a multi-millionaire then the house would remain untouched. I've seen Grade 2 listed buildings completely ruined by wealthy owners.

You don't think Donald Trump's golf resort is maybe setting a larger precedent?

**melvbot** · 08-11-2008, 12:26 PM

After reading a bit about it, yes it probably does. The Scottish government must be pretty desperate and weak to allow it to happen.

**Thetyim** · 08-11-2008, 12:39 PM

One of the reasons I left UK was because of shit like this.

I bought a building in Cornwall and they would not give me change of usage to a dwelling.
It was OK for it to fall into disrepair and become an eyesore.
I did not want to build anything, I merely wanted to alter the interior

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