meeting with nosy/ difficult residents

[tgsands]

Please could you advise from experience or common sense the best course of action for the following issue.

In Jan I bought a young woodland in Cumbria (5.5 acres) and being a DT teacher and passionate about all things trees, outdoors and woodlandy set about my plans to develop the area for the benefit of the area. It was culled by forwarders 25 years ago but has naturally re-seeded and despite it seeming ok to the untrained eye, some species are taking over to the detriment of others.

I have a lot of work to do.

I used the prior notification process to build a small ( 16sq m) hut on the land. I used timber from no further away than 20 miles for the all wooden construction, clad in locally felled, and milled by me, wainy spruce.

I live over 2 hours away and have a lot of kit, the wood is accessed by a steep muddy 0.75km track. Oh and it always rains. For this reason i have fitted a sink i found in a skip with water from the roof for washing hands etc and a small woodburner to keep me warm when i change and to make a brew.

I have had nosy local residents snooping round the land since day one, saying, we have been here for many years and spent many thousands of pounds to be in the lakes and you think you can just waltz in etc. Oh and they complain to the planning board ALL THE TIME.

I have finally finished the hut and i have had the process filmed, so of course, it is newly painted, and not scruffy and muddy (yet) and someone has been peering in and spying about and i got a letter from the planners saying that they wanted to meet to discuss all the features that i had included ( which were all either from skips or free eg and sky light, a sink and a woodburner) and all which i justify. They want to meet with me and the planning chap ( who sadly knows nothing about woodlands or associated rules, eg. he thought they had trespassed to see the hut and i had to explain the forestry commission right to roam scheme )

How is the best way to deal with these people who are clearly intimidated by a young ( 23 yr old) with drive and passion taking on a piece of woodland ( that is minimum 3 miles from any property and over 150m higher.) They have already expressed distain and all i have done is smiled and met them with a handshake or nod in passing.

Has anyone had such experience. I fear that they might be fearful of out of town yuppies trying to build houses or whatever but the fact is that my family used to live on that very lane and at least 4 live within 20 mins, in much nicer locations!

I just want them to be happy that im not trying to Redrow Homes-ise my woods and that i am no threat and that im a happy young teacher that wants to get back to nature and live some boyhood dreams.

Thanks

Tim

[Stephen1]

I'm guessing then that your woodland has been specifically dedicated under the CROW act as land where there is the 'right to roam'? Was it previously owned by the forestry commission?

You said you built your hut under the 'Prior notification process' - what was the outcome of this? Were you given approval, or did they just not get back to you within the alloted time? If they approved it then the planning 'board' (sounds very american!!!) have very little they can say. If they approved it as reasonably necessary, and if they approved your proposed design and specific location- then under the permitted development regulations associated with woodland (and distinct from agriculture) you don't need planning permission as you have what amounts to the same thing already.

In my limited experience a 4m x 4m hut i.e. 16 square metres is unlikely to have been agreed to through the 'prior notification process as 'reasonably necessary' within a small 5.5 acre woodland - open sided structures for drying wood etc. of this size often are, but a shed/hut would be an unusual approval - if you have got such a structure legitimately through the prior notification process then that would be a valuable precedent for many small woodlands owners battling to get approval for something similar.

The woodland itself sounds like an interesting project though. What species to you feel are 'taking over to the detriment of others'? And what is the squirrel situation where you are? One of the projects I'm currently working on sounds pretty similar - it would be interesting to hear your approach if you have time to share it.

[tgsands]

Thank you both for your responses.

The hut is 2.6 x 4.5 which actually gives it 11.7 sqm my mistake!

The prior notification process was a strange one. I applied in good faith with technical drawings, covering letter etc and waited. 35 days passed, nothing, so i went ahead and began.

Then 2 and a half months later i get a letter saying that the application needed something changing before it could be assessed. I duly changed it, despite it being way outside of the 28 days. They came back to me and said that because it had been started, i could no longer do prior notification.

I had to apply for retrospective planning or take it down, take a pic of the ground it was on and then wait! I duly wrote them a lovely but firm letter saying, No, this is your problem, not mine, I played by the rules. Anyway, they agreed to let it go through another 28days of prior notification and this time i got the letter to say it was approved.

I have no experience of the squirrels yet, but I used to live very close as a child and we constantly had a garden full of red squirrels. was really rather nice.

Silver birch is trying to grow and what i believe are Norway spruce ( read Big sharp christmas trees) are just everywhere. I need to at least thin them out and get some uniform areas so that the trees can hopefully progress from young things to big trees in the future.

Tim

[ncrawshaw]

I reckon that you're jolly lucky to have had the shed approved under the prior notification system. I had to go to full planning for a 4m x 4m shed, which had windows and a wood burner (like yours, all second hand). It went to the planning committee and was approved by a majority vote - only for five years though and then I have to apply again! - This is just in case I wasn't serious about my plans for the woodland. As in your case it was down to nosy neighbors worried about me building a house on the site, I have a perfectly good house a few miles down the road thankyou!!