Buying land and living on it

siobhanmermaid

Hi all 

First time posting (I think!) and need some advice please.

What are the legalities around buying land which is freehold without existing residential planning permission and living on it? 

Is it possible if the home is moveable (shipping container, on wheels etc.)? 

Is the process to get planning permission for a small, eco home expensive/ impossible? 

Is this idea just too good to be true? 

Thanks in advance!

Siobhan 

ProDave

If you site a caravan or any other portable home, however good or bad, without planning permission, the council can enforce it's removal.  In a few vary rare cases, you might get away with it long enough that they can no longer enforce it, but "hiding" the building does not count and they can still enforce it's removal (the man who hid his illegal house behind a stack of hay bales)

If the land has any probability of getting planning, then it probably would have.  If it is for sale without planning, it is unlikely it will get it.

The eco credentials of a new house make no difference to planning.

You are best looking for a derelict property or a site with planning as a building plot.

Otherwise buy 13 separate plots and live on each for 28 days a year them move onto the next.

GDB2222

The reality is that you can live there quite a long time before the Council will take enforcement action. By quite a long time, I mean several months. Then, when they do, you can fight it, although you may incur costs doing so - even if you defend the court proceedings personally, you'll be liable for the council's costs. 

You will probably manage a year or two's delaying action before you are thrown off. 

I suppose that, as long as you don't pay too much for the land and don't invest too much in it, you might be okay with that?

GDB2222

https://urbanistarchitecture.co.uk/getting-planning-permission-on-agricultural-land/


Worth a read. For example:

Apply for Temporary Planning Permission

If your ultimate goal is to build a farmhouse, then the first step is usually to put in for planning permission for a temporary dwelling. This will allow you to live in a caravan or mobile home for up to five years while you establish you do need to live on the land. But you should be aware that to even get temporary planning permission, you will need to show that the business is viable and that you need to be sleeping on-site – usually, to care for animals.

siobhanmermaid

ProDave said:

If you site a caravan or any other portable home, however good or bad, without planning permission, the council can enforce it's removal.  In a few vary rare cases, you might get away with it long enough that they can no longer enforce it, but "hiding" the building does not count and they can still enforce it's removal (the man who hid his illegal house behind a stack of hay bales)

If the land has any probability of getting planning, then it probably would have.  If it is for sale without planning, it is unlikely it will get it.

The eco credentials of a new house make no difference to planning.

You are best looking for a derelict property or a site with planning as a building plot.

Otherwise buy 13 separate plots and live on each for 28 days a year them move onto the next.

Thank you, it’s a shame but makes sense. 

Do you know how I would find details of derelict properties? 

GDB2222

A derelict property will cost you almost as much as a liveable one, and it won't be mortgageable.

GDB2222

This is one that has featured elsewhere on this forum:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/82663344#/media?channel=RES_BUY&id=media0&ref=photoCollage

siobhanmermaid

GDB2222 said:

This is one that has featured elsewhere on this forum:

Link

Wow thanks, can’t believe the price.

Guess I should just get used to the idea of paying extortionate rent my whole life lol. 

siobhanmermaid

GDB2222 said:

A derelict property will cost you almost as much as a liveable one, and it won't be mortgageable.

Apparently so . Guess I’m paying extortionate rent forever. 

ProDave

siobhanmermaid said:

GDB2222 said:

This is one that has featured elsewhere on this forum:

Link

Wow thanks, can’t believe the price.

Guess I should just get used to the idea of paying extortionate rent my whole life lol. 

What area do you want to live?  Have you considered moving somewhere more affordable?  How much are you paying for rent at the moment?

GDB2222

I've suggested this before. There are a couple of free harbours around the country. You don't pay for moorings. Just buy a boat, moor it in the middle of the harbour, and live on board. You'll need a dinghy to get ashore. And, you'll get strong manhandling gas cylinders and the like. Blakeney, for example.