Off grid living

tori.k

One of the biggest hurdles is finding affordable land that doesn't already have a covenant in place to prevent permanent dwelling , then finding nice enough neighbours that won't drop you into planning the minute you break the 28day rule.
We have friends that managed it but it took a lot of money and over 12 years to get planning, it would have been cheaper at the time to just buy a normal house nearby and work the land.

Davesnave

glasgowdan wrote: »

None of these people are living truly off grid. They depend on a society that is. Where do their clothes come from? Their healthcare? Their trades? They do carry money...where do they get it? Where do they spend it?

It's a very head in the sand type of ideal that doesn't benefit society as a whole.

I take off-grid to mean that no services like power, water and sewerage are used. Until a property is recognised and people are paying council tax there can be no waste collection either.

I don't think anyone expects to be totally self sufficient, even in a larger community, like Lammas in Pembrokeshire. There, the occupants needed to prove the viability of their enterprise to the council; in other words they had to demonstrate sufficient earning power.

This is not so different from 'ordinary' people I know of who bought a smallholding in Devon with planning for temporary accommodation. This has now been converted to full permission for a permanent residence.They have built-up a successful plant nursery business there, which is an asset to the local and wider community.

Annie35

I remember a girl on dragons den who had kestrels, bought a patch of field & lived there doing pest control. She was inspirational for a kind of crossover working to make offgrid living, like Davesnaves' garden centre pals & likely small holders in general.

I like the idea of canal boats too. You can be as off grid as you like but with access to town/facilities when you want.

Mossfarr

Very difficult to hide any unauthorised buildings these days since the development of 'drones'.
You don't just have to hide from nosy neighbours!

bouicca21

I always find it interesting that being self sufficient/off grid is somehow admirable but being a peasant isn't.

Davesnave

Mossfarr wrote: »

Very difficult to hide any unauthorised buildings these days since the development of 'drones'.
You don't just have to hide from nosy neighbours!

DEFRA/Rural Payments Agency don't need drones. Farmers will tell you they can see plenty from satellite imagery, which is way better than you or I could access via Google and Bing.

I heard from someone locally that their farm payment was reduced because they left a pile of logs too long in a farmed field.

Back here, I put up a flimsy fence to seperate two chicken runs, using nothing more than 75mm posts and plastic bird netting. To my amazement within a year, or two at the most, my fence appeared on the RPA's mapping!

I don't even claim any payments.

AG47

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes he will. Once the local authority recognise a property as lawful, it will be subject to council tax and it will get an 'official' address.

Then it's best not to get it registered as an official address?

He explained that he sent a letter to himself and the post office figured out how to send letters to his post box he built

AG47

Mossfarr wrote: »

Very difficult to hide any unauthorised buildings these days since the development of 'drones'.
You don't just have to hide from nosy neighbours!

Look at the video in the first post, he had a camo roof, invisible from the air

Also he built a big bund around it so it's almost invisible from ground level

But he talks about the hay bale Tudor castle, not a good idea

Davesnave

AG47 wrote: »

Then it's best not to get it registered as an official address?

He explained that he sent a letter to himself and the post office figured out how to send letters to his post box he built

Ignoring the ethical argument, it might be cheaper in the short term to to stay unofficial, but the bigger picture is that by gaining a certificate of lawful development, the property immediately becomes much more valuable.

Just because there is a 4 year rule now, doesn't mean it'll be there for ever. Rules change,especially when too many people exploit them, so securing the property as a legal residence ASAP would be the more intelligent choice IMO.

If I understood the video correctly (and it's obvious not everyone gave it much attention) the guy is explaining what can be done within existing law, not saying don't pay taxes or shun earning an honest crust. Indeed, he must have been earning to pay back the loans he took out.

There are a number of ways to use existing planning law to personal advantage, but they're not risk-free. As the guy said, it's up to individuals to become fully conversant with the laws, because they allow a little flexibility, especially in cash-strapped times when councils are stretched.

AG47

What is the ten year rule?

Can any old barn or some shed that has stood for ten years be turned into residential