Anguille
Bane of the Urbane
- Mar 8, 2008
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UK man ordered to destroy his secret castle - The Boston Globe
UK man ordered to destroy his secret castle
By Associated Press | February 4, 2010
LONDON - A man’s home is his castle, but not if British authorities say it has to be destroyed.
That’s the situation faced by Robert Fidler, a farmer who lost a High Court bid yesterday to protect the once-secret castle he built 40 miles south of London and kept hidden from planning authorities. He has a year to take it down. His family had lived there for more than four years.
To keep prying eyes from noticing his unauthorized abode, Fidler placed bales of hay and tarpaulin around his dream home in Salfords, Surrey, authorities said. The court ruled he could not benefit from his deception.
Mike Miller, a chief planner with the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, said the council was delighted with the decision, which it viewed as vindication of the decision to challenge Fidler in court. “This was a blatant attempt at deception to circumvent the planning process,’’ Miller said.
UK man ordered to destroy his secret castle
By Associated Press | February 4, 2010
LONDON - A man’s home is his castle, but not if British authorities say it has to be destroyed.
That’s the situation faced by Robert Fidler, a farmer who lost a High Court bid yesterday to protect the once-secret castle he built 40 miles south of London and kept hidden from planning authorities. He has a year to take it down. His family had lived there for more than four years.
To keep prying eyes from noticing his unauthorized abode, Fidler placed bales of hay and tarpaulin around his dream home in Salfords, Surrey, authorities said. The court ruled he could not benefit from his deception.
Mike Miller, a chief planner with the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, said the council was delighted with the decision, which it viewed as vindication of the decision to challenge Fidler in court. “This was a blatant attempt at deception to circumvent the planning process,’’ Miller said.
