How to tick off a horsey neighbor...(long, but any help appreciated)

[MileAMinute]

This has been an interesting post to read, however old it is. I'm sure i saw something on tv once about a bloke who built a sort of mini castle which he couldnt get planning permission for, so he hid it behind tonnes of straw bales for over 4 years (even whilst building it the straw bales hid it). He thought he could get away with it then as he kept stuff to prove it had been there for over 4 years. Can't remember if it worked or not but it was fun to watch

Ha, I remember that! It was to be his new house, think it was on C4. Brilliant building too, shame he got caught out!

 

[sazzle44]

I know it's off point, but didn't he get caught by the heat detectors the police have because they thought he was growing copious amounts of canabis in his straw bales? xx

 

[Booboos]

Also interested to see how the OP's friend sorted all this out. Personally I would not answer the council's questions directly and certainly not in a facetious manner, it won't get you anywhere. Instead I would hire a planning consultant to find out my right and, if appropriate, challenge the council's right to even ask some of these questions. I have also been told mighty porkers by councils, e.g. "You can't put up post and rail fencing", which were conveniently retracted immediately a planning consultant asked them to back up their claims. We have put up stables/arena/hard standing/access roads in two properties with no problems with the help of planning consultants and overall their fee was really small in comparison of the hassle of repeated planning applications - thoroughly recommend them!

 

[Its Not Magic]

This has been an interesting post to read, however old it is. I'm sure i saw something on tv once about a bloke who built a sort of mini castle which he couldnt get planning permission for, so he hid it behind tonnes of straw bales for over 4 years (even whilst building it the straw bales hid it). He thought he could get away with it then as he kept stuff to prove it had been there for over 4 years. Can't remember if it worked or not but it was fun to watch

I remember that also. The outcome was...He had to pull it down on the grounds it did not comply with planning regs. If it had been visible for that length of time, he would have been safe. It was hiding it that was his downfall. Having said that, had it not hid it, it probably would not have been there for that length of time.

People get confused (understandably) with planning laws. So do I.
But I know this rule applies here in England.

Most things built without permission on the whole can stay after it has been erected and visible for 'four years' without complaint.

One has to have resided (with proof) for ten years in order to obtain a certifcate of Lawfulness. And that merely applies to how one was living at the time of application. i.e

If you built a 40 x 40 barn without planning permission, but only used one 10ft x10ft corner to cook and sleep, after ten years, one could keep the building, but only legally live and use the 10ft x 10ft area as a dwelling. Silly, but law.

I am a little confused about this thread, as when I logged in, I clicked on 'New Posts' and saw the OP, thinking it was interesting. But then I am sort of new....and clearly stupid. Opps. Sorry to drag things out of the archives.

 

[PucciNPoni]

OMG, this is so old that I'd forgotten that I'd even written it! In fact, I saw it come up this morning and just ignored it! LOL However...I can give you a brief up to date on this.


I'd have to speak to my friend for more specifics on this (or better yet, get her to log on to do the honours). But as far as I recall, she had a planning consultant help her with some of the go between. She was able to provide documentation and photographic evidence specifically that the arena was built some thirty years ago (she has the original receipts).

The land has always been used for grazing of horses, and surrounding her fields she has more horses and some cattle and sheep. She gets on with all these neighbours and there might have been one owner of a cottage that she thought perhaps might have had issue with her horsey lifestyle. Who knows.

I think that the planners approved everything in the end, provided that she move the temporary stables - and so she did. She moves them around now and again to suit...

If you are more interested in the nitty gritty details of how she managed to get the approval, I will ask her to post herself as I won't know them. But it worked out okay in the end.

However, that wasn't the end of her interesting brushes with authority. Ask me sometime to tell you the one about her and her husband getting pulled over in the lorry with a laminitic pony (that had never travelled before) for going 10 mph UNDER the speed limit for driving too slow!

 

[scarymare]

However, that wasn't the end of her interesting brushes with authority. Ask me sometime to tell you the one about her and her husband getting pulled over in the lorry with a laminitic pony (that had never travelled before) for going 10 mph UNDER the speed limit for driving too slow![/QUOTE]

LOL happened to me too with horse returning from trial who couldn't stand up in trailer - they breathalysed me too! Negative of course

 

[PucciNPoni]

[![/QUOTE]

LOL happened to me too with horse returning from trial who couldn't stand up in trailer - they breathalysed me too! Negative of course[/QUOTE]

Breathalysed!?! FGS....