Camping in Woodland

[spandit]

Interesting. Wouldn't like to try it as a defence

 

[Swallow]

I recently met an architet who was into small houses. He was claiming that if your structure is under 300 sq ft and not attached to the ground you did not need planning permission.

Having seen the Living in a Yurt thread where plenty of knowledgeable BCUK people had said otherwise I brought that up.

I never had time to look him up and look the thread up and get the two together.

How did Ben Law pull it off that he lived in his woods in a Carvan for a few years and then "qualified" to build a roundwood timber and staw bale house?

I bring it up on this thread due to a tipi/yurt being a non-attached structre that is less than 300sq ft.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Ben Law fought for over 12 years to get permission to build his Cruck framed house, and then only with covenants prohibiting him from selling the house on and other restrictions.

 

[fenix]

Interesting. Wouldn't like to try it as a defence

Its not a defence, you would be arrested and would then most likely have to go to court to prove you were following up a wounded animal. So you would need permission to shoot on neighbouring land, and all the FAC stuff that goes with it.

 

[Laurentius]

I recently met an architet who was into small houses. He was claiming that if your structure is under 300 sq ft and not attached to the ground you did not need planning permission.

Having seen the Living in a Yurt thread where plenty of knowledgeable BCUK people had said otherwise I brought that up.

I never had time to look him up and look the thread up and get the two together.

How did Ben Law pull it off that he lived in his woods in a Carvan for a few years and then "qualified" to build a roundwood timber and staw bale house?

I bring it up on this thread due to a tipi/yurt being a non-attached structre that is less than 300sq ft.

He is right in part, a structure of that sort is classed as temporary, and without this law you would have to have permission for the garden shed, however building a structure is only part of the planning law, how you use it is defined eleswhere, and even if it could legally be constucted as a dwelling it would come under the same rules as tents and caravans.

 

[Bishop]

I find it funny that someone would have to trespass onto your property to tell you that you have spent longer than 28 days on your property.

Lol not really..

The secretly built eco-village of Brithdir Mawr was found by an aerial survey of National Park land in Pembrokeshire around 1997-8. However as they had been there unnoticed since 1993 this gave them a legal toe-hold to stay. More recently there's the case of the Brown family cabin in the village of Wescott who apparently 'outed' themselves after seven years by having post sent there and utilities connected. Again the four year rule joker was played and the very paper trail the council used to try and get them evicted, is allowing them to stay.

Nowdays with every man, dog and council enforcer able to buy a cheap camera drone the chances of anybody pulling this trick again are slim.

 

[yarrowfarm]

28 days - what qualifies as using one of the 28?
If you leave the property at 11.30 pm and return at 00.30 am the next day does that mean the two days don't count? You'd only have to do this every other day

 

[petrochemicals]

Its not a defence, you would be arrested and would then most likely have to go to court to prove you were following up a wounded animal. So you would need permission to shoot on neighbouring land, and all the FAC stuff that goes with it.

That's basicsaly my reading of it. You say I thought land owner would be ok, policies next question is why?

1) land owner let's people shoot

2) injured animal

3) has let you in the past


If your answer is just because" probably not

 

[mousey]

28 days - what qualifies as using one of the 28?
If you leave the property at 11.30 pm and return at 00.30 am the next day does that mean the two days don't count? You'd only have to do this every other day

probably as soon as you step foot on the property within a 24 hr period staring at 00:00 is counted as a day no matter how long your on there for.

 

[spandit]

I find it funny that someone would have to trespass onto your property to tell you that you have spent longer than 28 days on your property.

Council planning enforcement officers have right of access to your property so it’s not trespass.

 

[yarrowfarm]

probably as soon as you step foot on the property within a 24 hr period staring at 00:00 is counted as a day no matter how long your on there for.

I still can't work it out
I own a field - how many times can I visit it a year and for how long each day?
If setting foot on it equals one of my 28 days of occupancy then legally I can only visit 28 days a year - which is not true.
If I want, I can go there everyday for any reason I wish, it's my field, so when does one of my 28 days get used?
Hence my question about not crossing the midnight threshold.

I guess it comes down to what you are doing while on the land, but it all seems rather vague.

 

[didicoy]

I own a field. Owned it for 32 years. I’ve camped on it, lived on it. On and off all these years. Longest I got to live on it in one continuous spell was 18 months.
The 28 day rule states in law that you can reside on the site lawfully (to sleep) in a tent, caravan, bender, tarp, tipi, what ever you want, that isn’t a permanent structure or may require planning permission due to any land designation that may apply. They don’t really keep a check on the number of days, but if they do and can ‘prove’ you have stayed more than 28 days, then you could be in for future checks and restrictions.

You ‘DO’ have a right to pass and repass on your land however many times a day and days a Year that you choose to and you can extrend that right to family, friends or surfs. I fact anyone you wish.

 

[R.G. Barjey]

I read something about deer stalking, it is ok to go onto someone's land without direct permission and shoot deer as long as you honestly thought the land owner would give permission, this is so you do not have to find the landowner, ask and them walk back. From this I should think it means prior contact or what is the done thing in the area. I'm likely to judge "overnight resting" on the trail by similar standards I think.

Absolutely not ok and totally illegal.
Do that and guaranteed you`re going away on an enforced holiday.
It is armed trespass pure and simple.

 

[R.G. Barjey]

That is called armed trespassing and is highly ilłegal. Ignorance is no defence. It's also poaching and will be against the conditions on your FAC although it sounds as if you don't have one.

^^^ That ^^^
The implications are numerous. Loss of FAC, loss of vehicle, possible prison sentence, humungous fine etc.
Don`t do it ... under any circumstances.

 

[mark oriel]

Makes interesting reading, here is what happened to me. I bought about four and a half acres of woodland about 11 years ago and wanting to put up a structure to camp up there and have somewhere to store kit, I opted to put in for the general permitted development order. However due to the block of woodland next door being purchased by a guy who chose to just put a static caravan there, I was required to submit full plans for the 25 x 14 cabin, I submitted the plans and they were passed as long as I did not live in the cabin.

The neighbours complained about the guy in the woods next door both to him and the council, so he put another static caravan there and ignored them all. now 11 years later I have a cabin i'm not supposed to live in more than 28 days a year and next door has now changed his static caravans for mobile log cabins that he now lives in full time.

Due to the outcome I would say he was right and I was wrong. Here is what I believe to be the clincher, if you care about the outcome and you are a worrier or you allow it to become personal you will lose, if you give it a go and don't care they probably will leave you alone.

Another option is ONE PLANET PLANNING, very briefly it is a scheme which is now accepted in Wales where if you own five acres or more and you build an Eco friendly house (straw bale etc) no mains electricity or water or sewage and you can produce a small income off the land following a five year settling in stage, planning will be granted.
Check out LAMMAS eco village.
Hope it helps, otherwise dig in!!