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Out-maneuvering the government

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Wide White: Out-maneuvering the government

Friday, January 25, 2008

Out-maneuvering the government

This is crazy, but it's kind of funny too.
Farmer hides castle from building inspectors

LONDON (Reuters) - A farmer built an entire mock castle behind a screen of hay bales and lived there concealed for four years to evade planning regulations, officials said on Friday -- but it may be torn down anyway.

Robert Fidler hopes to take advantage of a provision of planning law that allows buildings without planning permission to be declared legal if no objections have been made after four years
...
The [borough] council wants the building near Redhill some 30 km south of London to be demolished, along with an associated conservatory, marquee structure, wooden bridge, patio, decking and tarmac racecourse.

"It looks like a mock-Tudor house from the front and it's got two turrets at the back," the spokeswoman said. "I understand there is also a cannon."

The couple would have been unlikely to get planning permission as the farm was in "green belt" land where building was restricted, she said. A hearing takes place in February.

Fidler's wife Linda told the Daily Mail newspaper the children grew up looking at straw out of the windows of the house and that they kept their son away from playschool on the day his class were due to do paintings of their houses.

"We couldn't have him drawing a big blue haystack," she said. "People might ask questions."
I say let the guy keep it for his effort!

2 Comments:

Blogger -V- declared,

I read about this... Seems really strange to me that people actually came to check out the property and had no suspicions that something was a little off when they saw a huge WALL of hay! Sometimes truth is stranger....

Makes me feel annoyed at the guy for keeping his kids boxed inside a wall of hay for 4 years. AND, moreso, annoyed with snobby building codes that won't allow someone to think outside the box a little. It's farm land, for crying out loud - let the guy have his castle. What - are the cows going to care?!

1/25/2008 8:57 PM  
Blogger acommonman declared,

By building this beautiful building under the noses of the public and especially the building and zoning commissions, Mr. Fidler usurped their power. Most people in those positions thrive on the little bit of power they derive from those lowly public offices. Now it is a matter of flexing their power even if it makes them look stupid. The point will be "I am a small person but I am in charge! Roar!" Hopefully the town fathers will see this for the tourism opportunity it could be, instead of the narrow power struggle it has become. You know if the public didn't complain about those ugly bails stacked up then why should they mind the wildly beautiful castle that now adorns their neighborhood.

2/06/2008 12:30 PM  

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