I've just been watching 'Damned Designs' that I recorded from Channel 4 on 11 May.
I do understand the need for planning permission, but some of the decisions made by local councils seem quite petty to me. For example, there was the famous 'castle' that the owner hid behind giant bales of hay (I'm sure you must have heard about it). Despite there being no complaints by his neighbours, the council pursued a several year campaign which eventually ended up with Eric Pickles and resulted in the building having to be demolished. I think the only complainant was a woman who objected to having to see the building as she drove along a distant road. For God's sake woman, just don't look!
Then there was a ridiculous model of a large shark having nose-dived into a house roof in Oxford. The owner claimed it is a 'sculpture' and, as far as I know, it's still there despite being a real eyesore.
There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to these decisions by self-opinionated councillors. For each of the several examples shown on the programme, I found myself asking myself:
- Does the owner own the land?
- Have any neighbours objected?
- Is the structure dangerous?
- Is the structure causing any detriment to the value of neighbouring properties?
The reasons these councils give for their decisions are sometimes quite arbitrary.
Then it occurred to me that, at the same time, they seem to turn a blind eye when it comes to P i k e y s' caravan sites, frequently strewn with rubbish and a definite eyesore!
I do understand the need for planning permission, but some of the decisions made by local councils seem quite petty to me. For example, there was the famous 'castle' that the owner hid behind giant bales of hay (I'm sure you must have heard about it). Despite there being no complaints by his neighbours, the council pursued a several year campaign which eventually ended up with Eric Pickles and resulted in the building having to be demolished. I think the only complainant was a woman who objected to having to see the building as she drove along a distant road. For God's sake woman, just don't look!
Then there was a ridiculous model of a large shark having nose-dived into a house roof in Oxford. The owner claimed it is a 'sculpture' and, as far as I know, it's still there despite being a real eyesore.
There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to these decisions by self-opinionated councillors. For each of the several examples shown on the programme, I found myself asking myself:
- Does the owner own the land?
- Have any neighbours objected?
- Is the structure dangerous?
- Is the structure causing any detriment to the value of neighbouring properties?
The reasons these councils give for their decisions are sometimes quite arbitrary.
Then it occurred to me that, at the same time, they seem to turn a blind eye when it comes to P i k e y s' caravan sites, frequently strewn with rubbish and a definite eyesore!
