Log Store

[Cassie]

Advice please... we have owned our woodland for over 2 years now, my husband built a log store behind our garden fence in the woodland which is agricultural land about 10 months ago. The log store has a corrugated roof and scaffolding planks to the sides, we have been reported to the planning dept who recently paid us a visit, saying they could see it was a labour of love but it would probably need planning permission and suggested to paint the roof brown which we did, we sent in a pre-planning application, advice came back that we would need FULL planning permission as it was outside our residential curtilage and change of use to land, this seems ridiculous and from what we can gather expensive, they also suggested painting the roof black!
Is the way forward to try to extend our residential curtilage which they might not agree to, we have replied stating we do not want to change the woodland from agricultural to residential, we just want permission for a log store on agricultural land.
Not had a reply from them yet, but someone suggested to saw through the uprights which have been concreted in place which obviously made it a permanent structure, and to either attach brackets or wheels, so that it becomes non-permanent?
We would appreciate advice as to an amicable way forward which won't cost the earth
Thanks

[SimonFisher]

You could try to ascertain if it's the permanent nature of what you've built that's the issue and would they have any concerns if a log store was merely resting on the ground rather than having posts concreted in. Just out of interest, how big is it? Could you post a photograph of it?

[oldclaypaws]

Someone is being very petty. If the wood is over 2 hectares you should be able to do it under agricultural planning under prior notification. As you say, if the roof 'sits' on the logs, its not a building, so you could just have a loose cover over the logs such as tin sheets or a tarpaulin, and also if it was put on wheels, its a vehicle. (make sure you've not been drinking when you push it around, that would be 'drunk in charge of a mobile woodstore, without insurance and not wearing a seat belt). This sounds like you have some daft very objectionable neighbours who probably envy your having a wood. Very annoying. I'd have thought from a common sense point of view if it has one open side, its not a building as buildings are enclosed by walls ?? Bureaucracy gone daft.

[The Barrowers]

Hello What area of the country are you in?

B and T

[Cassie]

Hi
In answer to your questions/feedback
Simon.... it's approx 2mtrs H x10mtrs W x2mtrs D, pictures are on my phone don't know how to upload.
Oldclaypaws .....it's only approx 0.75 of a hectre
The Barrowers..... we are in Glossop which is Peak District National Park and they can be a pain at times, not sure we will get any impartial advice from them as it all seems to be bureaucracy and money
I need a retired planning officer on board!

[oldclaypaws]

While it might be a nuisance, presumably a wooden outbuilding within your garden is permissible within 'bounds of usual domestic activity', so as the wood is so close to the house, could you relocate the woodstore into your garden? It would be a pain to have to take it down and redo it, but less distance to carry the logs when you want to use them.

We've experienced painful National Park planners before, they are over-zealous, if well intentioned.

[Cassie]

While it might be a nuisance, presumably a wooden outbuilding within your garden is permissible within 'bounds of usual domestic activity', so as the wood is so close to the house, could you relocate the woodstore into your garden? It would be a pain to have to take it down and redo it, but less distance to carry the logs when you want to use them.

We've experienced painful National Park planners before, they are over-zealous, if well intentioned.

Yes that would get them off our backs but what a job it would be to do, and would use up a good part of our garden area, still keeping our options open and hoping to find a way of leaving it where it is, hopefully the planners will work with us but I wont hold my breath

[oldclaypaws]

It sounds like quite a big store for a relatively small wood, I'd be surprised if you could sustainably produce enough wood to keep the store full, unless you were storing it for a couple of years before use. (I find most logs, once chopped, will season by the following winter). So firstly, you might get away with a smaller store if using the wood quickly. While you may have a smallish garden, you do have the wood next to it, and I can't see anything you can do in a garden that you couldn't also do in a wood, so if you lost part of the garden by relocating the store, just spend more time in the wood (?). Alternative is ask the planners what would not constitute a building and adjust accordingly, or establish chances of getting planning permission and reluctantly accept the cost (£335?). For interest, what sort of trees do you have? Would love to have my house next to my wood, I'd never watch TV again !! -As it happens I'm fortunate to have found one 3 miles away, so I'm there at least once every day.

[Cassie]

Hello again
Could anyone give a definitive answer to our dilemma?
The local planners have come back to us regarding our log store, stating that because the logs are used for our domestic fuel it is not a necessary structure for forestry to take place, therefore they would not class it as permitted development under the Town & Country GPDO 1995 schedule 2 part 7, and would therefore require FULL planning permission, which seems to be totally over the top for a log store.
The planners have surmised that it is for our own domestic fuel being that it is a small scale operation.
Forestry commission guidelines state we are legally allowed to sell 8 cubic metres per year.
We also feel that the log store is necessary to facilitate drying the logs to make them a marketable and usable end product.
We were of the opinion that there wasn't a need to show whether it be for domestic use or to be sold.
One final point is that the log store is also used to store our log splitter, small tractor & trailer and ancillaries to facilitate our woodland management.
Positive feedback would be appreciated
Thank you

[Dexter's Shed]

can you not set up an area for producing charcoal (old oil drum type) and maybe ask a few local garages/shops if they would be interested (next year) in buying local charcoal, Im just trying to think of ways to prove its not for domestic use, whether you actually sell to shops etc is neither here nor there