Hastings man told to remove garden structure hires crane to prove 'it's not a shed'

  • ITV News Meridian's Malcolm Shaw went to see the structure.

A man who has been ordered to remove a structure in his garden by the council has hired a crane to lift it off the ground to show its moveability.

Steve Holden had applied to put a shed up outside his house in Hastings, but he was turned down.

He then found a builder who said he could make it in a way it can be treated as a caravan in planning terms and would not need council approval.

He has now been served with an enforcement notice by Hastings Borough Council to remove the structure.

  • Steve Holden said he took the advice of the company who constructed it that it is moveable and therefore does not require planning permission to park it on his land.

Homeowner, Steve Holden said: "[The builder] assured me that he could build a moveable structure that didn’t require planning permission.

"I don’t want to be in dispute with the council, so I figured I’d got the right solution, but apparently not.

"The council eventually served me, after a long process and a couple of appeals, with an enforcement notice.

“We managed to lift it about 18 inches off the ground, show clear air underneath to show it’s not attached to any foundation and it is indeed a moveable structure."

The structure was able to be lifted off the ground in one piece. Credit: ITV News Meridian

The builder says because the structure is moveable, it should be treated as a caravan in planning terms.

“It’s not a shed because there’s nothing underneath, there’s no foundation," the structure's builder, Peter Bucklitsch said.

"The frame itself is a complete frame, it needs nothing under each leg."

The builder of the structure says "it's not a shed." Credit: ITV News Meridian

In a statement, Hastings Borough Council said: "The Planning Enforcement Team have, and continue to be, open to discussion with Mr Holden regarding this matter, however the structure is in breach of planning control.

"Mr Holden has the right to appeal against the enforcement action taken by the Council, and he is able to make his representations regarding the structure to a planning inspector.”

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