Planning permission - processing logs on agricultural land

[simplythebest]

Hi all,

 

I need some help / legal guidance.

 

I own a piece of land (3/4 acre) on the edge of a village, which is officially classed as agricultural land was an old stack yard for the dairy farm which has since been developed into 5 houses. It is however outside of the village envelope but strangely inside the conservation area of the village.

 

I have been using the land to process my logs on a casual as and when basis throughout the year. Last November the local council enforcement officer paid me a visit after complaints about the noise. He also said I needed planning permission to process the logs as it was classed as an industrial operation.

 

He advised me to put doors on my barns and then open up the back to the fields to let the noise out the back, and only cut up the cord inside the barns. Then apply for planning permission, I didnt bother as he never sent me the forms like he said he would.

 

To try and avoid any trouble I did put doors on the barns and have been cutting up inside using and electric chainsaw, yes I did say electric. Stihl MSE 220C. This made it a very quiet operation.

 

But yet again the local idiots have got together and now the enforcment officer has wrote to me telling me I am not allowed to process my logs on my land.

 

Does anybody know anything about whether you need planning permission or not?

 

Any advice would be moist appreciated.

 

P.s. I have thought about retaliation to the local idiots, but for now I am remaining calm. Have however had a couple of offers on my land from friends within the travelling community, and its so tempting to sell the yard and move, as it does have planning permission for 4 log cabins and a big storage barn.

 

Many thanks

 

Craig

[nick channer]

you can only use agricultural land for agricultural purposes... the only wood you can cut up on your land is wood that is derived from that land.. a tree you've cut down thats on your land for instance... they can stop you doing what your doing without a doubt.... they tried stopping me bringing wood chip into our farm... i can bring it in cos i told them we use it for compost on the land.... it cant be bought in and then sold off again...

[eggsarascal]

Hi all,

 

I need some help / legal guidance.

 

I own a piece of land (3/4 acre) on the edge of a village, which is officially classed as agricultural land was an old stack yard for the dairy farm which has since been developed into 5 houses. It is however outside of the village envelope but strangely inside the conservation area of the village.

 

I have been using the land to process my logs on a casual as and when basis throughout the year. Last November the local council enforcement officer paid me a visit after complaints about the noise. He also said I needed planning permission to process the logs as it was classed as an industrial operation.

 

He advised me to put doors on my barns and then open up the back to the fields to let the noise out the back, and only cut up the cord inside the barns. Then apply for planning permission, I didnt bother as he never sent me the forms like he said he would.

 

To try and avoid any trouble I did put doors on the barns and have been cutting up inside using and electric chainsaw, yes I did say electric. Stihl MSE 220C. This made it a very quiet operation.

 

But yet again the local idiots have got together and now the enforcment officer has wrote to me telling me I am not allowed to process my logs on my land.

 

Does anybody know anything about whether you need planning permission or not?

 

Any advice would be moist appreciated.

 

P.s. I have thought about retaliation to the local idiots, but for now I am remaining calm. Have however had a couple of offers on my land from friends within the travelling community, and its so tempting to sell the yard and move, as it does have planning permission for 4 log cabins and a big storage barn.

 

Many thanks

 

Craig

 

Do the locals know you have had an offer for the land off the travellers if not let them know, that plot would be worth a fortune to you from travellers, as you say its already passed for log cabins it would be easy to get it changed to chalets/mobile homes.

 

by the way i know nowt about the legal side of things.

 

Where about are you based ?

[porky]

If you are cutting the logs for your own consumption then its not industrial. If you are selling them I reckon it is.

[Johny Walker]

go speak to a land agent ,he will put you strait @ what u can & cant do & how to adrress it

[hardtop110]

Speak to the enforcement officer and find out what permission you need. Presumably the planning officer told you what you need to apply for when he suggested fitting doors on the barns?

 

Whatever you don, don't stick your head in the sand. They will make life a pain for you if you don't go through the process.

 

Good luck.

[Billy68]

as above

[Big Bolt]

tell the lovely people that you are going to sell to a traveller but they can buy it for 5 x its worth or leave you alone

[Andy Collins]

IMO, you can harvest your crop and heap it up on ag land, then load it up and sell it on in its same state (ie thinning a woodland, stacking in yard for merchant to buy the stack) But you cant process it into logs without changing the land use to industrial (and applying for planning permission to do so)

[Tom D]

Have a chat with a planning consultant, these guys are professionals who know the planning laws backwards.