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Man hides bungalow

Planning permission is often a tricky subject. A new garage, an extension, a conservatory – these are usually not a problem, as long as they aren’t eyesores. New houses, on the other hand, are slightly trickier, particularly in green belt land. So my hat goes off to the attempt by one Graham Head of Dorking to avoid applying for planning permission by concealing his bungalow in a pre-existing barn. The Daily Mail reports that Mr Head built his house in an open-sided barn and surrounded it with hay bales to hide it from passers-by.

After three years of him using a secret entrance to come and go from his £300,000 dwelling, locals became suspicious and alerted the council. Mr Head has now been ordered to demolish the building. His many appeals have all failed, and the drawn-out process has led to the break-up of his marriage. It just goes to show: he really shouldn’t have tried to fight the system.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .