Building on own land

[Padstone]

Hi. A friend of mine lives on a farm with extensive land that is used for farming and has warehouse's and stables that he rents to various people. He want to build a small timber house on his land that he can live in to move out of the main house. He has no intention of selling land or of ever selling or renting the timber dwelling. As far as planning permission goes he does not think that he needs it. But still wishes to connect to mains electricity and gas. As well as have bins collected. Does anyone know where he would stand in regards to these queries? Thanks.

 

[cjard]

Depends on the relationship the timber shed has to the main house and/or whether it's built as a caravan or not. On the face of what you've posted I'd say planning permission would be needed because you seem to be discussing a separate residence, not a granny annexe

 

[Padstone]

Yeah it would being built about half a k away from house. If house was self contained and did not need gas and electric and he disposed of waste elsewhere. Could be still do it?

 

[rjm2k]

He probably needs PP, Maybe he could make things easier by agreeing to an agricultural restriction on it.

He could just build it and hope that nobody notices for 10 years, but the guy who built a house behind hay wasn't very successful with that approach (can't remember if they made him knock it down yet).

 

[cjard]

Yeah it would being built about half a k away from house. If house was self contained and did not need gas and electric and he disposed of waste elsewhere. Could be still do it?

That makes it even more likely to need planning. You're discussing a self contained independent residence. If you drop a static in the frarmyard and the bathroom or kitchen is still in the main house, then the caravan still enjoys a relationship with the main house (which is permitted to be there). If you build a shack half a mile away with its own power and waste, it's a separate dwelling!

 

[cjard]

but the guy who built a house behind hay wasn't very successful with that approach

In that case the completion date for the house was deemed to be the removal of the hay, not the laying of the last brick/tile/carpet. As a complaint that a tudor castle has appeared in a field came only hours after daybreak on the day concerned, the clock was nowhere near the 4 or 10 years required.
This case would possibly be slightly different, as there would be no end goal to reveal the house to the world with an action such as removing hay bales. In that case it gets more difficult to prove when a structure was built so as to determine the start of the clock..

 

[Padstone]

Not that I will advise him to do so but just want as much info as possible. After 4 or ten years what happens? It would be a kitchen bedroom and bathroom so nothing big and costly so is the worst case scenario that he has to tear it down? Thanks guys.

 

[rjm2k]

4 years isn't relevant since this is change of use, that's 10 years. worse case I guess is he is ordered to demolish it. After 10 years if nobody has noticed it, enforcement shouldn't be possible.

 

[Padstone]

He has decided to go through planning permission. What type of planning permission would he need?

 

[cjard]

One that involves a large bribe to the council I expect. Or a local occupancy condition that restricts use of the dwelling to someone employed in agriculure

 

[Padstone]

Ah ok. The land he owns is spilt into separate feilds of use. Some is rented as agricultural land to neighbouring farmers and some is rented as stables. A vast amount contains various units used for storage, offices and building yards. He plans to put the house on a piece of waste land contained in the yard. Odd I know. Would this make any difference as this land is not agricultural?

 

[cjard]

Possibly, though it really does depend on what the council think the use class of the land is, rather than the actual use to which it is being put

 

[b3taman]

It's vitally important to make sure he's really thought this through before he applies, as putting in an application will inevitably involve a site visit from the local planning office and they may then choose to query the legality of the various other structures which have been erected or are let out - eg maybe a requirement for an agricultural building to be reclassified as B1 use. He may regret the day he went down this road as it could open up a very nasty can of worms.
He might be better discreetly converting part of an existing building, and keeping it away from the planning radar.