Living in a yurt

[outdoorcode]

I'm pondering living in a Yurt for a year or so (fed up of living in a surburban semi) and was wondering what the legal status would be with regards to planning permission, council tax etc... I have a spot in mind, though it is by no means certain, so was wonderig if anyone had done anything similar or knew the legal position & pitfalls.

Cheers

Andrew

 

[Lurch]

Lorks! How's the missus liking that idea?
Or is she not included in the plan!

 

[outdoorcode]

She thinks its a great idea, very outdoorsy my little lady , bear in mind we spend most weekends camping, in fact this weekend was the first weekend I have slept in my own bed for about 2 1/2 months

 

[scruff]

your not gonna start drinkin fermented yak's milk are you?

 

[Lurch]

She thinks its a great idea, very outdoorsy my little lady

Lucky bugger, mine's a right townie.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Andrew,
I'm guessing that you are not tied to a particular address. There might be some issues over a permanent residence, but if you can convince whatever council that it is a temporary structure you might be OK. I'm also guessing that if a welfare agency gets to hear of your ideas, they'll want to beat the drum about water and waste services.
It sounds like a great idea though if you can get the ground.
Keep us informed, as I recon a lot of folk here would be interested in your findings.

Ogri the trog

 

[outdoorcode]

Thats wasn't on my list of benefits of living in one

 

[Tony]

I'd just call the council and ask them what the rules are for that sort of thing. I'd imagine that it would get more complicated if it's not on your land etc

Just ask them for info, you don't need to give them loads of info about yourself.

 

[Celt_Ginger]

Hi. Tell the Council that it's a social experiment, and invite some school kids out to have a look see now and again. You never know, you might even get a grant!

 

[anthonyyy]

I would guess that legally you would be on very shaky ground. What you propose would probably constitute a “change of use” and would require planning permission.
There have been cases of Travellers buying caravan parks, which already have planning permission ( for use by holiday makers), being told by the council that it constitutes a “change of use” when they move in permanently. Living in a structure for a year as you propose would probably count as “permanent”.

If you want to get a cast-iron gurantee that what you are doing is legal then you will have to spend a fortune in legal fees and years of your time.


The best thing about a yurt is that it is easy to take down if you do run into problems. What the authorities do not see will not hurt them.

 

[pumbaa]

Not to steal the Ditch Monkeys idea , but if you did it to raise money for charity , they would have a hard time turning you down ! If they do , the media will kick their butts for you .
Just an idea . I read the now locked thread on BB and this might help you through some legal issues .
Good luck
Pumbaa

 

[Fluxus]

Andrew,
From cases I know of - it is likely to be a battle - IIRC you can live on a piece of land - in a temporary structure for 28 days in one year without permission. after that you may need to apply for a change of use / temporary planning permission.
Several people have done it but you may need to prove that it is necessary to your livelyhood to be resident there eg - caring for livestock , charcoal burning etc.

If you are serious about taking on the planning system you should read this book:
Low impact development by Simon Fairlie
More info about the book and other low impact settlements can be found here :http://www.tlio.demon.co.uk/tinkers.htm

There is a real case for a change in the planning system to recognise low impact settlements as separate from conventional housing development - It takes folks to take on the council and Govt head on to help that change happen.

All the best of luck
Flux

 

[outdoorcode]

Thanks for the advice so far, the spot I'm thinking of is actaully on a farm, not far from a farmhouse in a hidden spot where you would have to look pretty hard to see it, my lavvu has been up for about 5 weeks there now If I did take the plunge I wouldn't want to involve the farm in any legal problems so it would have to be legit

 

[Fluxus]

If its in a hidden spot and ok with the landlord - I reckon the only way you are going to be able to do it is to just move on and say nothing. If anyone complains to the council, just be in a position to move off straight away before it gets to a conflict situation. If you approach the council first I'd be amazed if they said anything but NO WAY - once they know about the plan - you've burnt your bridges. Sadly its pretty much illegal to be a peasant in this country nowadays.
All the best
Flux

 

[Kane]

Don't forget the guy that built a shelter in a wood on the quiet and was caught during an aerial survey - large camo net may be called for - probably worth going the social experiment route, if they say no then you pays your money and takes your chances

Kane

 

[outdoorcode]

If its in a hidden spot and ok with the landlord - I reckon the only way you are going to be able to do it is to just move on and say nothing. If anyone complains to the council, just be in a position to move off straight away before it gets to a conflict situation. If you approach the council first I'd be amazed if they said anything but NO WAY - once they know about the plan - you've burnt your bridges. Sadly its pretty much illegal to be a peasant in this country nowadays.
All the best
Flux

But if I did move on and was ordered off by the council, I would then be homeless (I was going to give up my rented house), and I wasn't planning on becoming a "traveller"

 

[Fluxus]

I can see the dilemma. If you even ask about living in a yurt though, you'll probably been seen by the authorities as a 'traveller' and be lumbered with all the prejudice that goes with that label.

Peasantry rarely came with much security!

The folks that had their solar panels spotted from the air were inside a national park which made the planning position even more conservative. There isn't much fun in being constantly worried that you are going to be evicted - but that will probably only happen if you aggravate some neighbours - there are plenty of folks living in the woods in yurts or benders - very few have permission. They just keep their heads down and cultivate good relations with those around them.
maybe talk to someone at Steward Wood as they have much experience of this stuff :
http://www.stewardwood.org/woodland/

I'll leave you in peace now!
Flux

 

[leon-1]

Andrew we can surmise all we want, it will not help you get the information you require, you really need to speak to someone who lives in a yurt in this country or someone who works for the council that is likely to know the ins, outs and technicalities.

It may be worth searching the net to find out if there are any little web communities that are concerned with living in a yurt in the UK, it may seem unlikely, but its is still possible.

 

[Abbe Osram]

But if I did move on and was ordered off by the council, I would then be homeless (I was going to give up my rented house), and I wasn't planning on becoming a "traveller"

Hi mate,
I dont know the laws of your nation but I know that in germany or here in sweden you can lease very cheap a chunk of land. If you lease your land you are pretty free to do as you please and its cheap compare to renting a house.
Probably the only laws you have to watch are the common laws applied to campers. If I would be you, I would lease some spot and start living there and see what happend. If you ask to many stupid question you will get a lot of stupid answeres.

I did this here. They are very restricted to give you the right to build a cabin near ot the shoreline of a lake. Even if a lot of rich guys got it done somehow do they give us poor fellows a hard time. So I said to them ok, than I am not building a cabin but live in a tipee instead, do you have laws on that too? He said if I have a permanent camp with a tipee longer than a week I will have to have to ask for permission similar to the building permission. I said that is nuts as I dont want to pay for a blueprint sketch of the tipee, like you would have to do for a cabin design, etc etc. I said to him that I am going to move around on my own plot than, staying less than a week on one spot and move the tipee some hundered meters around. The guys face changed red and he got very angry shouting at me that this is forbidden and I only want to bypass the law.

When I told my good old neigbour about the meeting he simply said:

"Dont ask stupid questions" nobody bothers if you dont push their nose into the subject.

cheers
Abbe

 

[anthonyyy]

There you have it: move to Sweden for a year. Probably not as big a culture shock as living in a yurt in England.