Cannot believe what the Council want me to do!

Foxy girl

Foxy girl

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 June 2004
Messages
302
Location
North Wales
Visit site
We applied for planning permission for our wooden double stable/field shelter and it's been back and forth for months over various niggly issues - finally we get permission granted but on the following conditions:

- that the stable is painted green
- that only one horse is stabled ?!?!?!?!?!
- and that we pull the whole thing down and dig up the hardstanding after 5 YEARS.

WHY OH WHY OH WHY?????? It's going to cost us the best part of a couple of grand to get hardstanding, water, lighting, fencing etc - only to scrap it all in 5 years. We live in a rural area with all sorts of odd bod sheds and add-ons and 40 foot grain stores and caravans dumped everywhere - all I want is hardstanding so me and horses don't disappear up to our necks in mud like last year!

I am fuming!!!!!!!!
 
I feel your pain
Brickwall.gif


Maybe once its up and if no one complains you could re-apply for it to remain? I know nothing about the Council, except they're a PITA, but just a thought?
 
Councils are a law unto themselves and each one is different.

I'd go back and ask why. Is this retrospective planning approval which puts their nose out of joint and they may be teaching you a lesson.

Councils are a real hindrance to progress in the country and If David Cameron wants people to start businesses and provide employment he needs to get to grips with them.
 
Their 'grounds' are all to do with the 'look and feel of the vicinity' - for example, they have insisted on tarmac for the 2 foot section that joins the stable hardstanding to the road on the grounds that it will reduce the debris transfered into the road from the field. Twice a day every day the farm next door brings their cows in to be milked and they poo everywhere - destroy our gardens and our fencing plus the 'ancient hedgerow' but that doesn't seem to count....

BBH - it is partly retrospective in that they wanted us to move the stable round the field in Jan but I asked for a reprieve because of the mud, and then applied for permanent planning...

Sometimes I think those who play by the rules are the ones who get penalised...
 
I have every sympathy, had similar issues with our local council only not as bad!!! Stupid conditions after they granted permission for mobile shelter on skids (no-one dare say you dont need permission if on skids.....tell north somerset council that!) like no trailer to b left on premises....umm needed for emergencies etc plus have no-where else to keep it!! No jumps to be used on land & countless other daft things. I am still awaiting a reply from them to a letter I wrote (and hand delivered!!) October 2010 :mad:
 
Your right in saying those that play the rules get penalised we live on an estate where there isnt supposed to be any vehicles over a certain weight yet they are everywhere ( slight exgeration - but still!)My neighbour did the right thing and requested permission and was flatly refused! Sometimes its better to follow " what they dont know wont hurt them" rules
 
Seems a bit strange. They should have given a detailed break down of the reasons why they came to their desicions.

I would imagine they are trying to restrict what you are doing, hence the one horse only and the temporary permission. It might be that they have fallen foul of people putting up sheds and shacks on a piecemeal basis (as you describe in your opening post), then claiming they are a business/small holding and need a residential dwelling etc etc. It happens round aour way all the time. On the plus side after a year or two you could re apply to extend the permission or have the time restriction condition removed.
 
Magicmillbrook - I think you're right BUT I am reluctant to fork out to get the stables how I've always dreamed of just to pull them down in 5 years if they say no... I have files and files of correspondence with the council on planning issues we had at our old house and I just don't trust a word they say.

And would you believe the County Councillor for our area has managed to build a 4 bedroom house in place of his garage just round the corner from us... Funny that...
 
It may be different in Wales (thats not ment to sound nasty) but as far as I know if you place your stables on "runners" it is not a perm structure and you can place it on what ever you want.
I also work for highways, and the tarmac comment is a load of s**t tarmac has no specal properties to stop the tansfer of debris!!! Why do you think we have road sweepers? Bloody stupid thing to say.
Also look into CDM (Construction Design Managment) and Building regs, I think they are trying to get a fast on over there, ask to see the coucil's local plan this should list what a building has to look like how big etc.....

Sorry to go on but I hope it helps.
 
As most people have said they are a law to themselves !! Think it might be worth getting back in touch with them yet again, and asking them to explain their reason for this, we were told that we needed planning permission for the jumps in a field by our council !! As you say play by the rules and this is whay happens :(
 
Foxy girl said:
Magicmillbrook - I think you're right BUT I am reluctant to fork out to get the stables how I've always dreamed of just to pull them down in 5 years if they say no... I have files and files of correspondence with the council on planning issues we had at our old house and I just don't trust a word they say.

And would you believe the County Councillor for our area has managed to build a 4 bedroom house in place of his garage just round the corner from us... Funny that...
Click to expand...

Yes I can and do believe it! Not sure if you tried it before but I would always recomend getting your Local Councilor on side and to speak on your behalf at comitee. We did this when my OH was applying to convert a redundant agricultural barn into a light undutrial unit for his business. He realy helped out cause.

The folks who have the final say are the planning committee who are elected memebrs voted for by us. If yiuy Council is anything like mine they very often take no notice to the officers recomendations.
 
I would appeal the 5 year thing and the number of horses, neither are relevant as to whether the thing is acceptable or not planning wise. Green painting seems quite reasonable to make it blend in.

Ask them for their reasons in writing if this isnt clear from the decision.

If you dont win then in 5 years time maybe it will have to become a sheep shelter and you borrow some sheep. Horses may sneak in of course!
 
So actually you had a mobile, refused to move it in Jan and then asked for retrospective planning? As you've found, they don't like that. Had you gone in first and applied you'd have found out about the requirements for mobile shelters to be moved and might have applied correctly in the first place. Whether or not you think they are jobsworths or corrupt you didn't really go about things the right way!
 
You are far better off to get a local surveyor to deal with your planning application then do it yourself as they will know the planners and will be able to have an informal chat with them prior to drawing up the application.

If any of you read the recent article in Horse and Hounds regarding field shelters then you will appreciate the difficulties involved in getting equestrian planning permission.
 
Jemima_too - if you read back you'll find that I didn't say they were corrupt or jobsworths - we spoke with them in jan and explained that moving it then would wreck the field. they came out to see us in June and were happy with us applying for it to be a permanent shelter. It's not about going about things the wrong way - we've played by the book all along.
 
OWLIE185 said:
You are far better off to get a local surveyor to deal with your planning application then do it yourself as they will know the planners and will be able to have an informal chat with them prior to drawing up the application.

If any of you read the recent article in Horse and Hounds regarding field shelters then you will appreciate the difficulties involved in getting equestrian planning permission.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this Owlie ^^^ We have got a Local Surveyor on the case - he's had 5 other cases also come up with issues and is about to give up with the Council and throw the towel in. Whether you look at their policies or not, they seem to change the rules as they go along which makes it so hard to fight each individual case... It's not just horse-related either - it seems pretty random!!
 
Someone I know got planning permission for building a house on parents farmland (as they work on the family farm) Planning permission included a specification of the COLOUR of any CARS they were allowed to have!
 
OWLIE185 said:
You are far better off to get a local surveyor to deal with your planning application then do it yourself as they will know the planners and will be able to have an informal chat with them prior to drawing up the application.

If any of you read the recent article in Horse and Hounds regarding field shelters then you will appreciate the difficulties involved in getting equestrian planning permission.
Click to expand...

Yes these people oftern worked for the council before starting there own bussiness
they know how it works what will go thru and who needs a little inducement to oil the wheels :D
 
Have you tried meeting with a planner or a planning liaison to discuss it? They might be able to justify their requirements, and give you an unofficial but accurate picture of how likely reapplying to maintain it in 5yrs time would be to succeed.
 
Last edited:
Agree with jemima.
The fact your neighbouring dairy farmer brings his cows in twice a day and has a 40' grain store is totally irrelevant, he is running a legitimate agricultural business and has his own restrictions to work to, he probably had to get planning for the grain store anyway.
Unfortunately buying land doesn't give you the right to put up what you want and had you gone about it in the right way you probably wouldn't be in the position you are in now, horses are not agricultural and even putting a couple of sheep in the field will not make it agricultural. You are lucky the council haven't pushed for change of use too.
You could pay a land agent to have a look at your application, they will have a much better idea on how your local council works
 
SusannaF said:
But


Why


does it have to be green? :confused:


Lime green? Bottle green? Grass green? The exact same shade of green as the trees behind it?
Click to expand...

Plus when the leaves have dropped green will stand out, brown is much better at blending in with hedgerows etc.

When we moved into our current place the old owner said that the National Parks dept had told them to remove the decking. It is still here several years later. Apparantly PP should have been sought for taking out the old rotten wooden window frames and putting in wood effect upvc too.........

They really do seem to be a law unto themselves sometimes.
 
I'd find out who the senior person is within that council department and write to them to complain and ask why the stipulations. Point out that a single stable for one horse is insufficient as horses need company. As for painting the structure green, who cares. If that's all they ended up asking you to do, don't complain about that! But I do agree, brown seems to make FAR more sense in terms of blending into the natural environment. Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top