Do you need planning permission for a weather vane?

[Minkeycat]

I'd like to put a weather vane on our house one day. Nothing fancy or too big but it'll go on the chimney and I'll connect it mechanically to a wall mounted, wind direction dial in the kitchen.

Would I need planning permission for this?

 

[88v8]

If you're listed.
Otherwise I believe weather vanes, like aerials, are exempt.
And even if you are listed it would probably be deemed de minimis.

Direction dial - so are you a sailor?

Ivor

 

[Cubist]

The First Lady wanted to get a 'Witch on Broomstick' weathervane - she likes winding up the kiddies.

I got out of it by claiming the CO and insurers would give us grief (Lightening Rod) - but I don't think she bought it, Will have to check to see if its still on one of the index card lists.

 

[Flyfisher]

I don't know the answer but I don't think I'd bother asking and would just do it anyway. It's bound to look more attractive and interesting than a TV aerial or dish and the worst that could happen is you might be ordered to remove it. These sorts of things tend to depress me because it often seems that far from living in a free society we are constrained by so many rules and regulations that we've become conditioned to believe we can't do anything without some form of official permission. Not that I'm advocating total anarchy, far from it, but come on . . . permission for a weather vane?

Who was it who said it is easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission?



PS: How peculiar. I checked the attribution and it was Grace Hopper. Peculiar because I knew a lot about her as an early computing pioneer from my career in IT and the quotation has always been one of my favourites, but I had never connected the two until now. Funny old world!

 

[Minkeycat]

I'm very glad I asked now.

Cubist, thank you for your comment about it being a lightning conductor. That is a game changer and I'm embarrassed to say I hadn't thought about that. We're thatched too so it would be madness to do anything that could attract a zap towards the house.

Ivor, I'm not a sailor but we do live on a hill and, especially in Winter months, it's quite useful for planning outdoor activities and outings in the warm and dry before venturing out.

Oh, and Flyfisher...

it often seems that far from living in a free society we are constrained by so many rules and regulations that we've become conditioned to believe we can't do anything without some form of official permission.

I couldn't agree more!

 

[MatthewC]

Surely you just make the vane act as a lightning conductor by adding the appropriate earthing system?

<pedant mode>In any case, Cubist wasn't talking about lightning, he wanted to make someone called Rod weigh less!</pedant mode>

Matthew :wink:

 

[Cubist]

Surely you just make the vane act as a lightning conductor by adding the appropriate earthing system?

<pedant mode>In any case, Cubist wasn't talking about lightning, he wanted to make someone called Rod weigh less!</pedant mode>

Matthew :wink:

Pedants of the world unite, or so I say. Personally speaking, the practice of perfectionist pedantry has stood me in good stead. For the most part; though from time to time I have been embarrassed by the occasional slip between cup and lip. However, one admits and learns from such mistakes and moves on, usually, but in this instance I have to claim innocence.

The 'Lightening' slip, I have convinced myself, is yet another example of that hidden conspirator that seems to lurk in many places such as this to lure us into unwitting gaffs. I speak of that dreadful tool 'Predictive Text' which more often than not, if one presses the space bar without checking the screen, will insert whatever word it thinks fit. An example of this is our house name where Fircroft becomes Aircraft with annoying frequency at the cost of confusing the Posty and DHL drivers alike.

Hence my call for the pedants among us to unite in an effort to combat these booby traps for the good of the language and my peace of mind.

Any takers?

 

[philpjuk100]

Made a wheelwright weathervane for wheelwrights cottage.Put it on the workshop,never thought about permission but have had visits from the CO and nothing was said.