Smell the Fear Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I can buy 7 acres of woodland in prime surrey countryside. Sounds like heaven, and only £55k. Woodland for sale I could build myself an eco home deep in there, with it's own generator, water tank etc. Even a big caravan would do. What are the chances that I would be asked to move on? Is anyone responsible for inspections etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timm Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) I can buy 7 acres of woodland in prime surrey countryside. Sounds like heaven, and only £55k.Woodland for sale I could build myself an eco home deep in there, with it's own generator, water tank etc. Even a big caravan would do. What are the chances that I would be asked to move on? Is anyone responsible for inspections etc? You need planning. You won't get it. So you'll get evicted. Having said that, my sister did have a Yurt in a forest round Ullapool for a couple of years. I guess it comes down to the local planning enforcement officer, how busy he is, and whether any one bothers to complain to him about you. If you manage to stay in your eco-home for (eight?) years without notice, you count as an established use and can stay. Edit: to try and answer your question more fully. Edited June 14, 2007 by Timm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smell the Fear Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 You need planning. You won't get it. So you'll get evicted.Ask Buying Bear if this is fair; he'll be along in a bit. I think it's clear from my post that I am aware of this. The question is if I just go ahead and do it what are the chances that I would be discovered and brought to task, who would find me and what steps would they take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I can buy 7 acres of woodland in prime surrey countryside. Sounds like heaven, and only £55k.Woodland for sale I could build myself an eco home deep in there, with it's own generator, water tank etc. Even a big caravan would do. What are the chances that I would be asked to move on? Is anyone responsible for inspections etc? You would need planning permission, which would not be forthcoming. If you remained, and decided into, you would enter into a legal process in which the responsible authority tried to chuck you off, and you tried to prove that you had a good reason for being there. You would need to prove that: (a) You had to be there (for woodlands, I think that the only reason is that you'd need to monitor the charcoal which you were making); ( And you could live off the woodland, e.g. by making charcoal, furniture, foraging, selling wood. You can search for Ben Law for an example, Peter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sossij Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I can buy 7 acres of woodland in prime surrey countryside. Sounds like heaven, and only £55k.Woodland for sale I could build myself an eco home deep in there, with it's own generator, water tank etc. Even a big caravan would do. What are the chances that I would be asked to move on? Is anyone responsible for inspections etc? You could build a treehouse! That would be ace I dimly remember there being a program on the TV about a warden of a wood who built a treehouse to live in and he was allowed to do it. Can't remember the ins and outs I'm afraid... will look into it and get back to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckmojo Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I think it's clear from my post that I am aware of this. The question is if I just go ahead and do it what are the chances that I would be discovered and brought to task, who would find me and what steps would they take? the TV licence van will spot you and you'll have them at your caravan door while you watch Deal or no Deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smell the Fear Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 the TV licence van will spot you and you'll have them at your caravan door while you watch Deal or no Deal. Pah, I'll live without one. I can get my info online via a mobile phone connection! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skint Academic Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I had this idea myself a little while ago but realised that we couldn't afford to buy a caravan, yet alone a field to park it in. We have absolutely no assets. That's why we're moving to Germany to live in my parent's holiday / retirement home. We just cannot afford to live in Britain anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smell the Fear Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 I had this idea myself a little while ago but realised that we couldn't afford to buy a caravan, yet alone a field to park it in. We have absolutely no assets. That's why we're moving to Germany to live in my parent's holiday / retirement home. We just cannot afford to live in Britain anymore. You could live in a tent in exclusive Oxfordshire! [see other thread....] Best of luck, it will be great to live in a country that is run for the benefit of its citizens rather than the top 5% as in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I think it's clear from my post that I am aware of this. The question is if I just go ahead and do it what are the chances that I would be discovered and brought to task, who would find me and what steps would they take? I would think that it's quite likely you'd be found, since I would expect that lots of people will use the woods, perhaps even your bit. They would report you to the council and then the whole planning dispute would start. If you and your dwelling could remain unreported for long enough - for 4 years I believe - then you get planning permission, Peter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chichi Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Nothing to stop you trying it. Depends whether you can live the really rural life and whether you get caught. What can they do to you? Pull the building down and fine you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest casaloco Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 It's an interesting point. If you could put a secure fence around the woodland and a secure gate at your access point, assuming you could conceal the caravan/house, I'm not sure who would even notice you are there. The hard part would be finding large enough area of woodland with no right-of-way (footpaths, bridleways etc) accross it. Then you'de have to sneak the caravan in without anyone noticing. (Or build the house without anyone noticing!) You'de also need to make your own provision for water, drainage and sewerage. You'de also need to conceal the house/caravan from view so that people outside the woods couldn't see it, even from a distance in the winter when the tree are bare. I suppose this wouldn't be hard... you just dig a 4ft deep hole with a retaining wall around the outside and set the caravan into it, then paint everything above the ground level in camo paint and put up camo nets around the outside until you can grow enough brush/hedgerow around to hide it year round. Thinking about it, probably the hardest part would be arranging water and sewerage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smell the Fear Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 I would think that it's quite likely you'd be found, since I would expect that lots of people will use the woods, perhaps even your bit. They would report you to the council and then the whole planning dispute would start.If you and your dwelling could remain unreported for long enough - for 4 years I believe - then you get planning permission, Peter. There is a bridle path along the edge of the property, but surely I could fence it off so nobody could get near the lair at its centre? I don't think people have the right to trudge through private woods, do they? are they not restricted to certain rights of way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AteMoose Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) seems well overpriced, go for it... what do you do for a postal address? Credit Rating? Bills? Edited June 14, 2007 by moosetea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LargelyIgnorant Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 If you and your dwelling could remain unreported for long enough - for 4 years I believe - then you get planning permission I thought it was seven years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sossij Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 You can search for Ben Law for an example, That was the chap. Him: http://www.permaculture.co.uk/PP/Grand_Designs.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benj Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I dimly remember there being a program on the TV about a warden of a wood who built a treehouse to live in and he was allowed to do it. Can't remember the ins and outs I'm afraid... will look into it and get back to you. It was on Grand Designs. The guy was a charcoal-maker by trade; he lived in the woodland and managed it himself, copicing the trees, burning them and selling the charcoal. It was a great show actually; he was a really nice guy. And he ended up finding a wife as a result of it! The council put him through hell, as I recall, but he did finally manage to get everything approved. It was a serious project, though, not just a tree-house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMHAL Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I thought it was seven years? How could you prove that you had been in the wood for 4 (7?) years? HAL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smell the Fear Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 If the property was secured with a fence and locked gate, could the authorities demand access to see what you are doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LargelyIgnorant Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 How could you prove that you had been in the wood for 4 (7?) years?HAL Dunno. Keep all the receipts for construction materials? HPC poster Dom seems to know about this - hopefully he'll turn up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benj Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) If the property was secured with a fence and locked gate, could the authorities demand access to see what you are doing? Probably, if the land doesn't belong to you. But surely there must be some sort of "squatters rights" that apply? As a bear, though, don't you think people might get suspicious about what you're doing in the woods? ...edited: of course, it would help if I'd read the original post properly and realised you were proposing buying the woodland yourself. In which case, you're probably in an even worse position than if you didn't own it at all. But presumably you'd have to pay cash - or are banks so desperate that they'll secure a mortgage on a few trees now? Edited June 14, 2007 by benj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sour Mash Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 You could build a treehouse! That would be ace I dimly remember there being a program on the TV about a warden of a wood who built a treehouse to live in and he was allowed to do it. Can't remember the ins and outs I'm afraid... will look into it and get back to you. It was Grand Designs. The guy was a woodsman who made charcoal which required him to be on site at all times, so he got special permission to build a dwelling there. However, he wasn't allowed to sell it. He could pass it on to one of his children as long as they took over the business. There was also another episode where someone got permission to build in a site close to woodland on the grounds that they'd lived in an outbuilding on the site for something like 15 years without complaint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 There is a bridle path along the edge of the property, but surely I could fence it off so nobody could get near the lair at its centre? I don't think people have the right to trudge through private woods, do they? are they not restricted to certain rights of way? You could fence it off, I suppose, but that would rather advertize your presence. I expect that people are meant to keep to the paths, but they probably don't. And if you're always around telling them off, they might become a bit suspicious, Peter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chichi Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 And don't block off any rights of way else you'll have the ramblers down on you like a ton of hot cats... ';-) And they have satnav now to be really accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Peter Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I thought it was seven years? Could well be, I can't remember. I think that there's also something which you require 10 years for. In any case, I would think that hiding a dwelling in 7 acres of wood in Surrey was rather unlikely, Peter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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