'planning permission' or is it just red tape?

[robgil]

i always thought the need for planning permission was to stop people from building inappropriately , from blotting the land scape with buildings that dont suit and to stop people from building buildings that just annoy their neighbours etc etc.

not in wales it would seem , a very appropriate building , not harming any one or any thing around it.. i bet if barretts wanted to put up a card board and concrete estate there they would have less trouble than this lot.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1205990.stm

edit - just looked at the report date , 2001.
wonder if they are still there.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

I believe they are still there, among them Julian Orbach the architectural historian who's just co-written the new Gwynedd Pevsner.

But for planning purposes, despite their eco-friendliness and their odd shapes, these are houses, and as such (surely?) should be subject to the same rules as anyone else wanting to develop in the National Park.

As one resident put it: "Our aim is to live on this Earth and touch it as lightly as possible."

Well, wouldn't another way of doing that be to occupy some already-existing buildings in need of a use, rather than building what is, in fact, a housing estate far from any facilities?

 

[Gareth Hughes]

They are still going:

http://www.brithdirmawr.co.uk/
http://thatroundhouse.info/

 

[robgil]

I believe they are still there, among them Julian Orbach the architectural historian who's just co-written the new Gwynedd Pevsner.

But for planning purposes, despite their eco-friendliness and their odd shapes, these are houses, and as such (surely?) should be subject to the same rules as anyone else wanting to develop in the National Park.

As one resident put it: "Our aim is to live on this Earth and touch it as lightly as possible."

Well, wouldn't another way of doing that be to occupy some already-existing buildings in need of a use, rather than building what is, in fact, a housing estate far from any facilities?

cheers for the links Gareth , very interesting. i think that occupying already existing buildings is a good idea but only if you own them. that round house cost , was it 2k? , i doubt you would be able to buy a house for that now. also renting isnt really breaking away from the grip of society which is what these people wanted to do. it seems to me that anyone wanting to break away from a society for what ever reason (i can think of many) can do so but only providing that they obey the rules set down by the thing they want to disassociate them selves from in the first place. you decide one day that war , greed , 9-5 , consumerism , tesco's etc etc isnt for you so you find a nice quiet place where you want to be left alone and set up home , you then build a self sustained , green house to live in that of which has been built for centuries and start to live your dream. self sustained and unattached from society. then one day a knock happens on your door and there stands a guy in a suit telling you your house doesn't meet current building regs. if we live in a democratic society then surely we should have the option to 'opt out' should we wish to?
'freeman of the land' springs to mind and its a concept that i find quite interesting.

http://www.freemanhighland.co.uk/introduction.htm

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&safe=off&ei=XQ_iSoaPK8j74AaFufCTAg&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&ved=0CA4QBSgA&q=freeman+of+the+land&spell=1&fp=c662ce1e81ac315b

just dont listen to david ike.

 

[Moo]

self sustained and unattached from society.

Until, that is, you or your children or your livestock get ill. Or you need a saucepan or a mattress, or a stove in which to burn your self-grown fuel, or oil for your lamps or buy books for your children. And you will not have a radio or telephone, nor will you communicate by mail.
And you will, of course, need like-minded neighbours - quite a lot of them - so that when your children grow up they will be able to build their own houses, continue living the dream and have children of their own....

 

[borischarlton]

Until, that is, you or your children or your livestock get ill. Or you need a saucepan or a mattress, or a stove in which to burn your self-grown fuel, or oil for your lamps or buy books for your children. And you will not have a radio or telephone, nor will you communicate by mail.
And you will, of course, need like-minded neighbours - quite a lot of them - so that when your children grow up they will be able to build their own houses, continue living the dream and have children of their own....

Quite, then you end up with a village, then town and so on

 

[JoceAndChris]

I tried this, didn't work out. I remember going to see my ex in Tenerife, he was living in a cave in a commune, on the beach. Everyone had a terrible strep infection in their fingernails. There were children there, it was a crime really. I got Hep A, nearly died. Thank God for British hospitals, who got me back on my feet. That was pretty much the end of my hippy period.

 

[Penners]

self sustained and unattached from society.

Until, that is, you or your children or your livestock get ill. Or you need a saucepan or a mattress, or a stove in which to burn your self-grown fuel, or oil for your lamps or buy books for your children. And you will not have a radio or telephone, nor will you communicate by mail.
And you will, of course, need like-minded neighbours - quite a lot of them - so that when your children grow up they will be able to build their own houses, continue living the dream and have children of their own....

Applause, applause...! No man is an island, entire unto himself. It can't be done.

Gwynedd Pevsner

Ah yes - "Gwynedd the Goer". If I remember correctly, she was the favourite for the boys of the fifth form to take behind the bike sheds.

 

[Moo]

- and, of course, you will be happy to remain unattached to society should any of your livestock or possessions be stolen or damaged or (heaven forfend) you or any member of your family be molested.....

 

[robgil]

yes but no one ever said to live detached from society you cannot trade with it or use it to your advantage. i dont see a problem with this.
although my last post was heavily fuelled with cheap red plonk as my local offie is doing a buy two get the third free on their wine and i have to admit , i do talk some rubbish when i am merrily intoxicated.

 

[Penners]

no one ever said to live detached from society you cannot trade with it or use it to your advantage.

Don't you think that such an attitude is fraudulent? You're detached from society until and unless society has something you want? Pah!

i do talk some rubbish when i am merrily intoxicated.

I seem to manage that without benefit of alcohol.

 

[robgil]

i dunno ,but i do believe that you can have your cake and eat it though.
perhaps you can detach your self from certain aspects of modern society such as the raping of our earths natural resources , chav hoody drug crazed muggers and unjust wars over what little there is left but still keep things like simple trade and medical care in your life. who ever said you have to take the good with the bad? and i doubt bupa really cares if you dont vote ,dont pay taxes or dont live in a concrete box. sometimes it seems as though 'the man' might though.