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Posts: 4786
Join Date: Jul 2007
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source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_britain_secret_castle
Robert Fidler, a farmer who lost a High Court bid Wednesday to protect the once-secret castle he built 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of London and kept hidden from planning authorities.
The adverse decision means Fidler's roof must come down. He has one year to comply unless an appeal is successful.
Mike Miller, a chief planner with the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, said the council was delighted with the decision, which it viewed as a vindication of the decision to challenge Fidler in court.
"This was a blatant attempt at deception to circumvent the planning process," he said, adding that Fidler now has one year to destroy the castle, remove the ruins and return the property to its original state.
Fidler, who has had disagreements with planning authorities before, anticipated that his request for permission to build the castle would be denied, so he tried to take advantage of a rule that allows a structure to be legalized if it has been lived in for four years.
Fidler's lawyer, Pritpal Singh Swarn, said the decision will go to the Court of Appeal because it raised important planning issues. A further appeal to European courts is possible if British courts again reject Fidler's bid to legitimize his castle.
He said Fidler was extremely disappointed with the ruling and no local residents had complained about the castle.
"It has been pursued at the expense of the taxpayer which we find deeply regrettable — but Mr. Fidler will continue to fight for the right to live in his home," the lawyer said.
Authorities said he incorporated two grain silos into the design, covering them with material to give them a castellated appearance.
"Mr. Fidler made it quite clear that the construction of his house was undertaken in a clandestine fashion," the court ruled.
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Sounds to me like the planning commission has a god complex. Their just ticked because someone doesn't want to bow before their authority.
I say leave the guy alone. Is it more important to kick a man out of his house to prove a point? What a huge waste that would be. At most if you have to fine the guy or something but trying to force him to tear down his own home sounds like something straight out of a commie's handbook or Adolf Hitler.
Ridiculous in a age where there are still so many people hurting just to have a home to live in, these morons want to destroy a perfectly good home.
__________________Lucas McCain the Rifleman: A man doesn't run from a fight, Mark...but that doesn't mean you should go running *to* one, either.
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