tree houses/hides

[paulorna]

hi all, have any of you had any probs being allowed to create a tree house or hide, in your woodland. would the LPA have to be notified ??
regards paul

[Binz]

If it is a 'temporary' structure i don't think you need to do anything. If it's a platform with a tarp over then I dont see that they would be bothered, if it's a shed in a tree then they could be

[SimonFisher]

What you should do officially and what you may get away aren't necessarily the same thing.

Have you seen http://www.woodlands.co.uk/owning-a-wood/sheds/ and http://www.woodlands.co.uk/owning-a-wood/sheds-leaflet.pdf?

[Emma S]

with far too much hindsight I wouldnt tell the LPA anything at all, and then IF they come and complain, claim complete ignorance and go for something retrospective if its deemed necessary....

[RichardKing]

You would only be commiting an offence if you failed to comply with a court order to remove such a structure.

[katherineklinger]

According to the Planning Officer at Dacorum Borough (Hertfordshire), planning permission is required for anything that is more than 1metre above ground in a woodland that is not part of permitted use - e.g. a wood and tool store. We had a big run-in with the Council after a local village councillor objected to a shed we put up in place of a shed that had been in the woods for over 5 years. As we didn't apply for Permitted Development it all turned rather nasty, more to do with the spite and ignorance, than an understanding of forestry planning laws. As we were inspected by the Council and had to seek retrospective planning permission, the Council started to object to anything they could find in our woodland - including a platform we had put on a tree as a future treehouse for kids. At one point I enquired if, in theory, my son wished to place three twigs together, tripod-style, two metres high in a tree, would we need Planning Permission - to which she replied 'Yes', (although it has to be said she couldn't quite look me in the eye as she replied). Whilst there is no question legally that if you go down the proper Permitted Development route, a woodland shed/shelter is allowed for legitimate storage of tools etc (even if the local Planners decide they want a full Planning Application) - anything other than this - i.e. a treehouse is NOT technically allowed. Incidentally, the council were so browbeaten by the local councillors who objected to our woodstore, they refused us Planning Permission in our retrospective application. We took it to appeal and National Planning Inspectorate level, and to the fury of the Council...we won. I will never forget the Planning Inspector who had driven 100 miles to make judgement on our shed, saying as we opened the door, 'What a lot of wood...' and the Council Planning Officer looking just a little sheepish that this was how taxpayers money was being wasted to decide on such trifling cases.

[Rich]

and the Council Planning Officer looking just a little sheepish that this was how taxpayers money was being wasted to decide on such trifling cases.

I know... I was planting a hedge up in the Surrey Hills recently and took down a bit of the understorey to give the new trees some light. Instead of burning it, I made a rough dead hedge to protect the new hedge. The next week a planning officer trapsed along with a clip board as some 'resident' had reported 'Illegal wattle fences had been erected'!

He looked embarressed but he said he has to follow up every single complaint that Mr and Mrs Busy Body report. It must cost us a fortune.

[katherineklinger]

Local Planning Officers do not seem to be conversant with woodland management and/or Forestry Rights, although they have considerable power to bully, halt progress and intimidate. For example, as part of their written response in relation to why they had refused us Planning Permission for our woodstore, they claimed that as we had not applied for a tree-felling licence, we were therefore not allowed to fell any trees, and therefore 'making-up' our need to store and dry wood. They were clearly ignorant of the 5 cubic metre per quarter law, which as I am sure SWOG members know, yields a not insignificant amount of wood. They also cited that a reason for refusal of our woodstore we had erected was on the grounds of it being 'too big' - apparently oblivious to the law that states that size is entirely up to the woodland owner and this is an entirely incorrect refusal submission. I think I learned to not let the Council push us around and not be afraid to challenge the Planning Officers. The National Inspectorate report that overturned the local Council decision was much more impressive: he knew the law and scrupulously kept to its letter.

[paulorna]

hi katherine, thanx for sharing your experience...i will heed to your advice and not be bullied... hope now that you are progressing with your plans...regards paul

[Meadowcopse]

I recently looked at a small woodland here in Cheshire, then lost interest due to SSSI, price and a few technical issues.
It did get me a little curious regarding the neighbouring National Trust land and their wildlife hides dotted over two administrative boroughs, I don't recall a planning application listed locally despite other controversy and protest at converting (felling) swathes of the area to heathland with Natural England support and encouragement.