The man who hid a castle behind a wall of straw
Filed under: House and Home, Weird and Wonderful
A farmer who secretly built a mock Tudor castle and hid it behind a wall of straw bales for four years to evade planning laws has lost a court fight to save it from demolition.It took Robert Fidler, 60, two years to build his dream home – complete with ramparts, turrets and a cannon – and amazingly he managed to live in it with his family for another four years without anyone noticing.
He kept it hidden behind straw bales until mid-2006, but was ordered to knock it down two years later. Furious, Fidler has pleged to take his fight to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.
He and his wife Linda, 40, and son Harry, nine, moved into the castle when it was complete in 2002. For four years they kept it hidden from Reigate & Banstead Borough Council behind walls made of straw bales and tarpaulin.
Fidler tried to take advantage of a loophole in local planning regulations. Buildings erected without permission are declared legal if no objections are raised after four years.
He said: "This house will never be knocked down. This is a beautiful house that has been lovingly created. I will do whatever it takes to keep it."
But the borough council was unimpressed and described it as a "blatant attempt to flout the law". To make matters worse, it said the castle had been built on green belt land, making planning rules even more stringent.
It all hinges on the removal of the straw bales.
When Fidler took them away, he thought the building would no longer be subject to planning rules because of the loophole. But a government planning inspector ruled in May 2008 that the removal of the straw bales constituted part of the building operation and the four-year immunity rule would not apply.
Deputy High Court judge Sir Thayne Forbes said: "In my view, the inspector's findings of fact make it abundantly clear that the erection/removal of the straw bales was an integral - indeed an essential - fundamentally related part of the building operations that were intended to deceive the local planning authority and to achieve by deception lawful status for a dwelling built in breach of planning control."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-04-2010 @ 6:49PM
K L Simpson said...
What a shame that this happened in the happy Surrey area - the councils allow absolute monstrosities to be built in the name of good taste yet will move heaven and earth to prevent really attractive and classic designs such as this mock Tudor castle.
Note that they are not even prepared to compromise and, surely, trees could be positioned to prevent the house spoiling the view.
Good luck Mr Fidler and shame on both the Council and Deputy High Court judge Sir Thayne Forbes in closing a loophole in the laws which it is every citizen's right to exploit.
You can't change the laws after the event and, anyway, what happened to the edict 'A home is an Englishman's castle'.
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2-04-2010 @ 3:54PM
geoff said...
What a shame this guy has to RIP down his house, I bet it took a long time to build. The council and judge could of tried to compromise with the guy to at least let him keep it and may be put a plantation of something around it. If he was an asylum seaker would they of done anything about it or turn a blind EYE?!!!
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2-04-2010 @ 4:02PM
gaz said...
this is classic !
I heard that the big bad wolf went round there. He blew the straw bales down but could manage the mock tudor mansion.
Apparently the Beckham's are interested in it !
(very footballers wives)
Anyway, if the owner stood on his Turret, would he be a "Fidler on the roof?"
I think he should be allowed to keep it as a reward for pure effort. Leave the old nutbar alone, he likes it!
Just goes to prove the old saying, "where there's muck there's a mock tudor mansion"
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2-07-2010 @ 5:46AM
gumpo said...
I'm not the type to side with Councils, but at the end of the day this bloke has deliberately set out to build a house without planning permission that he knew he'd never get, trying to be clever. a smartarse like that deserves to be told to rip it down and to you people who've said let him keep it, put the boot on the other foot.............Say there was a law that said if someone puts a fence up at the bottom of your garden and stole some of your land they could keep it if you didn't notice that they'd done it for 6 months, would you be happy ? Particularly if you hadn't seen it cos it was hidden from your view by a shed !!.............................And before you say "thats different, its not, it's someone trying to evade whats right or whats the law by "cunning" and then trying to laugh at the fact they've got away with it. And before you start saying " Its his land he did it on.....My lands my land as well but I have to abide by rules as well, I wish I didn't have to, but then I'm also glad my neighbour isn't allowed to park on my drive !!!
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