Monday, January 28, 2008

The Last Straw

An Englishman’s Home Is His Ruination

This ain’t a case of Tudor manor born. An English couple hid their mock-Tudor mansion behind a 12 metre (about 36 feet) stack of straw for four years in an extraordinary attempt to bypass planning laws. Linda Fidler and husband Robert didn't seek planning permission for their "dream home", complete with ramparts, and the first anyone knew was when the bales were removed. Council planners have now ruled that the construction is illegal and should be knocked down.

FOOTNOTE: Bale money.

6 comments:

Casdok said...

This house is actually not far from me. Ive not see the house but i have seen the straw! You realy do have to see it to believe it!!!

Ora said...

The powers that be are so strange!
The stack of hay didn't bother them but the home did. How much sense could that possibly have made?!
I just love your blog, you have such diversified interests and ways of presenting them.

Fletch said...

Apparently there's more to this story ...

1. He applied for planning permission to convert an old barn into a house.

2. The local council didn't respond to his application for TEN YEARS.

3. That's when he decided to build, after being informed of a legal loophole that states that nothing can be done about a building that has been erected and occupied for 4 years.

4. He built the house (which evolved into a mock-Tudor mansion) because his wife was pregnant and he didn't feel the barn was the right place to raise a family.

5. The four years are up, and it appears that the local council can 'huff-and-puff' but they ain't going to bring down this little piggy's house!

You just have to admire the 'little man' that sticks it to the bureaucrats!

imac said...

Seems the little man has won over the Top Notches then.

Power to the People.

Jo Beaufoix said...

Hee hee. I love it that people get away with stuff sometimes. From what Fletch says, it sounds like the council have messed them around too much. I really hope they get to keep their home.

TopChamp said...

THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE!? I'm gonna have to look it up now.