Another day, another house built without planning permission
Discussion
It amazes me how people can be so stupid to go ahead and sink tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds into new houses without getting planning permission.
Week after week the stories continue to appear in the usual papers and you know the content before you even read them:
- “I thought it was permitted development”
- “A guy from the council told me it would be fine”
- “I’ve improved the area, it looked rubbish before”
- “I’ve built it to higher standards than regulations require”
- “Why can other people build [insert something approved by planning here] but they won’t let me?”
- “It’s going to cost me thousands to demolish it now”
- “The neighbours love it”
I have less than zero sympathy for these people. If you take such a stupid risk, you deserve to face the consequences. Although it can be a time-consuming process, applying for planning permission is not difficult: the process is well-documented easy to access for anyone who can read and use a search engine.
Yet it keeps on happening...
Week after week the stories continue to appear in the usual papers and you know the content before you even read them:
- “I thought it was permitted development”
- “A guy from the council told me it would be fine”
- “I’ve improved the area, it looked rubbish before”
- “I’ve built it to higher standards than regulations require”
- “Why can other people build [insert something approved by planning here] but they won’t let me?”
- “It’s going to cost me thousands to demolish it now”
- “The neighbours love it”
I have less than zero sympathy for these people. If you take such a stupid risk, you deserve to face the consequences. Although it can be a time-consuming process, applying for planning permission is not difficult: the process is well-documented easy to access for anyone who can read and use a search engine.
Yet it keeps on happening...
This one popped up in my news feed recently.
It ticks most of your check list
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14847099/...
It ticks most of your check list
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14847099/...
That one is an absolute beauty! The picture pefectly captures how detached from reality he must be to think he didn't need planning permission. The guy basically build a WW2 artillery battery in his back garden and tries to claim it's a shed. Then has the audacity to act as if he is the victim... wow.
mcbook said:
That one is an absolute beauty! The picture pefectly captures how detached from reality he must be to think he didn't need planning permission. The guy basically build a WW2 artillery battery in his back garden and tries to claim it's a shed. Then has the audacity to act as if he is the victim... wow.
If he'd painted it mottled green to match the surrounding vegetation he might have got away with it... 
mcbook said:
That one is an absolute beauty! The picture pefectly captures how detached from reality he must be to think he didn't need planning permission. The guy basically build a WW2 artillery battery in his back garden and tries to claim it's a shed. Then has the audacity to act as if he is the victim... wow.
It's on a railway embankment - 'you can only see it from the trains'.Looking at the location & adjacent gardens you'd start to wonder if it's even inside the boundary.
JoshSm said:
mcbook said:
That one is an absolute beauty! The picture pefectly captures how detached from reality he must be to think he didn't need planning permission. The guy basically build a WW2 artillery battery in his back garden and tries to claim it's a shed. Then has the audacity to act as if he is the victim... wow.
It's on a railway embankment - 'you can only see it from the trains'.Looking at the location & adjacent gardens you'd start to wonder if it's even inside the boundary.
JoshSm said:
mcbook said:
That one is an absolute beauty! The picture pefectly captures how detached from reality he must be to think he didn't need planning permission. The guy basically build a WW2 artillery battery in his back garden and tries to claim it's a shed. Then has the audacity to act as if he is the victim... wow.
It's on a railway embankment - 'you can only see it from the trains'.Looking at the location & adjacent gardens you'd start to wonder if it's even inside the boundary.
I would have thought the entire embankment was owned by the railway company?
There are so many of these things...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14845325/... Great tale of woe, but pretty obvious he's tried to split the site and the claims around permitted development etc etc hold zero water.
This one is a classic of the type https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14847651/... go for permission for something reasonable, get it, try to get retrospective later after building what you originally wanted as a variation not by necessity or accident or whatever but just because f
k the rules.
Seen some locally where people have done the white render/grey frames/grey tiles thing on new construction despite the granted permission describing the materials/style to match the locality, then tried for retrospective. Funnily enough as it's possible to strip render, windows etc. & dress the thing with brick slips, tile hanging, new tiles & new windows, the local planning have started to get keen on forcing it as it's fairly practical to fix & easy to directly link back to the original terms of the planning permission.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14845325/... Great tale of woe, but pretty obvious he's tried to split the site and the claims around permitted development etc etc hold zero water.
This one is a classic of the type https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14847651/... go for permission for something reasonable, get it, try to get retrospective later after building what you originally wanted as a variation not by necessity or accident or whatever but just because f
k the rules.Seen some locally where people have done the white render/grey frames/grey tiles thing on new construction despite the granted permission describing the materials/style to match the locality, then tried for retrospective. Funnily enough as it's possible to strip render, windows etc. & dress the thing with brick slips, tile hanging, new tiles & new windows, the local planning have started to get keen on forcing it as it's fairly practical to fix & easy to directly link back to the original terms of the planning permission.
98elise said:
JoshSm said:
mcbook said:
That one is an absolute beauty! The picture pefectly captures how detached from reality he must be to think he didn't need planning permission. The guy basically build a WW2 artillery battery in his back garden and tries to claim it's a shed. Then has the audacity to act as if he is the victim... wow.
It's on a railway embankment - 'you can only see it from the trains'.Looking at the location & adjacent gardens you'd start to wonder if it's even inside the boundary.
I would have thought the entire embankment was owned by the railway company?
Suspect he's seen the 'spare' land and just decided to go for it.
There's similar going on with my neighbour, although I do feel a little sorry for him.
To put into context I live in the middle of nowhere, single track country lane, no streetlights, drains etc.
Back in 2019 a local developer bought the remains of a small holding and converted a barn into my home, he had planned to renovate the farmhouse and use the rest of the plot for a 3rd home. Farmhouse had to be flattened and a new home built and the council wouldn't approve planning for the 3rd home, the plot was sold as a paddock (with dividing fence) as part of the 2nd home.
2020 my now neighbour bought the house and paddock, he immediately built 2 large sheds on a concrete base in the paddock area, since then he has built a greenhouse (brick base) in there, extended the wall that runs on the lane and had electric gates fitted, added a decked area and also removed a small grass verge on the lane (it was a bit of an eyesore to be honest) and concreted it.
About 2 months ago, just by chance we were talking to him and it turns out his sheds had had it and were starting to fall to bits, so he had an architect coming over to see what he could do on the plot. It turns out there was no permitted development on the paddock area, so the sheds, greenhouse, decking, wall, gates, removal of grass verge etc were all without planning. As it stands I have no idea what he is going to do, luckily for me/us none of this overlooks our home so doesn't affect us in any way.
To put into context I live in the middle of nowhere, single track country lane, no streetlights, drains etc.
Back in 2019 a local developer bought the remains of a small holding and converted a barn into my home, he had planned to renovate the farmhouse and use the rest of the plot for a 3rd home. Farmhouse had to be flattened and a new home built and the council wouldn't approve planning for the 3rd home, the plot was sold as a paddock (with dividing fence) as part of the 2nd home.
2020 my now neighbour bought the house and paddock, he immediately built 2 large sheds on a concrete base in the paddock area, since then he has built a greenhouse (brick base) in there, extended the wall that runs on the lane and had electric gates fitted, added a decked area and also removed a small grass verge on the lane (it was a bit of an eyesore to be honest) and concreted it.
About 2 months ago, just by chance we were talking to him and it turns out his sheds had had it and were starting to fall to bits, so he had an architect coming over to see what he could do on the plot. It turns out there was no permitted development on the paddock area, so the sheds, greenhouse, decking, wall, gates, removal of grass verge etc were all without planning. As it stands I have no idea what he is going to do, luckily for me/us none of this overlooks our home so doesn't affect us in any way.
I've heard of a few cases locally where people have retrospectively applied and gained planning permission for works done. I bet a fair few people try their luck with that on the basis that they think its better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
In one such case, they thought "what's the worst than can happen!? They wont ask me to knock it all down". That's exactly what they told them to do!
In one such case, they thought "what's the worst than can happen!? They wont ask me to knock it all down". That's exactly what they told them to do!
ALPandy90 said:
I've heard of a few cases locally where people have retrospectively applied and gained planning permission for works done. I bet a fair few people try their luck with that on the basis that they think its better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
In one such case, they thought "what's the worst than can happen!? They wont ask me to knock it all down". That's exactly what they told them to do!
Its mad that people will spend so much money on a gamble.In one such case, they thought "what's the worst than can happen!? They wont ask me to knock it all down". That's exactly what they told them to do!
The secret of success is to build a ritzy "outbuilding", even with air conditioning, so when the neighbours complain and the planning inspector comes round you tell the council it's just an office, music room or gym with some handy large storage cupboards, a convenient outside tap and excellent roof drainage. Then, when the fuss has died down, install your indoor plumbing.
98elise said:
JoshSm said:
mcbook said:
That one is an absolute beauty! The picture pefectly captures how detached from reality he must be to think he didn't need planning permission. The guy basically build a WW2 artillery battery in his back garden and tries to claim it's a shed. Then has the audacity to act as if he is the victim... wow.
It's on a railway embankment - 'you can only see it from the trains'.Looking at the location & adjacent gardens you'd start to wonder if it's even inside the boundary.
I would have thought the entire embankment was owned by the railway company?
TA14 said:
98elise said:
JoshSm said:
mcbook said:
That one is an absolute beauty! The picture pefectly captures how detached from reality he must be to think he didn't need planning permission. The guy basically build a WW2 artillery battery in his back garden and tries to claim it's a shed. Then has the audacity to act as if he is the victim... wow.
It's on a railway embankment - 'you can only see it from the trains'.Looking at the location & adjacent gardens you'd start to wonder if it's even inside the boundary.
I would have thought the entire embankment was owned by the railway company?
Cost of removal will be astronomical - suspect he’ll lose his original house to pay for it!
Panamax said:
The secret of success is to build a ritzy "outbuilding", even with air conditioning, so when the neighbours complain and the planning inspector comes round you tell the council it's just an office, music room or gym with some handy large storage cupboards, a convenient outside tap and excellent roof drainage. Then, when the fuss has died down, install your indoor plumbing.
Did that ever get resolved? I lost interest.You can find the monstrosity at 53°46'30.6"N 1°44'55.4"W
Looks like the railway security fence doesn't follow the boundary of the cut so they went in between.
Also if the undergrowth wasn't there you'd see just how much st got dumped everywhere including during construction.
I'm still oblivious to where the property boundaries really are 'cos it doesn't look like it's part of the gardens or that this thing aligns to anything obvious.
Looks like the railway security fence doesn't follow the boundary of the cut so they went in between.
Also if the undergrowth wasn't there you'd see just how much s
t got dumped everywhere including during construction. I'm still oblivious to where the property boundaries really are 'cos it doesn't look like it's part of the gardens or that this thing aligns to anything obvious.
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