Using field as a yard.

[R5log]

It would be classed as change of use to commercial ,we have a site which we have just been served an enforcement notice on ,it's a woodland with nearest neighbour 400m away no chainsaws used just telehandler an hydraulic splitter and drying shed for which we have consent under permitted development 17 years down the line we have the enforcement on us and to appeal the notice will cost us over £5k in planning consultant fees alone .

The notice says change of use from woodland to woodland and processing timber for commercial purposes.

My point is you may get away with it for a while but as others have said sooner or later some nimby will complain and the council will always respond causing you more grief than a few logs sales are worth!!

 

But if u have been there over 10 can't u apply for cert of lawfull use?

[Philip Anderson]

Apparently not if a enforcement notice has been served you can appeal and if you win the appeal you don't need a cert of lawfulness it's the proof criteria that difficult to achieve .

[aspenarb]

If the place has been used as a yard for that long how the hell has it ended up under enforcement? You wont need a consultant to deal with an appeal like this one, you just need to stack up the evidence via dated annual Ariel photographs from a crowd like this Old Aerial Photography from 1917 onwards, a handful of sworn affidavits from credible sources and slap the application in. An appeal officer will see it your way 100%.

 

Bob

[Jesse]

But if u have been there over 10 can't u apply for cert of lawfull use?

 

10 years ,all you would need to do is apply for a certificate of lawfulness , and in the case of an unlawfull mobile home its only 4 years. Don't waste your money on a consultant if you can prove your position and the length of time just submit the paper work your self.

[Kev Stephenson]

A couple of pointers from my recent experiences.

 

If you are specifying buildings for a small holding don't state stable. A stable is not classed as an agricultural building, at least not to my local council. I have 1.5 acres next to my house with 2 sheds on which I wanted to demolish and replace with 1 stable/store on the same foot print (50square meters). An ag building did not need planning, a stable/store needed full planning. If I went ag building I not need planning but would need to prove I was keeping live stock either for sale or my own consumption. A horse is neither agricultural live stock or for consumption (unless you are the MD of Findus foods).

 

The difference between forestry and tree surgery from the planners point of view. Tree surgery - your customer pays you to work on their trees (provision of a service). Forestry - you buy a parcel of woodland or area of trees and make your money from the sale of the timber (harvesting a crop for sale). This is where the tie between forestry and agriculture comes from - both are harvesting a crop.

Log processing on the same site where the logs were harvested or on land belonging to the same person does not need further planning permission. Buying in cord to log/split and store/season in your own yard requires a specific condition on the land permission for processing and warehousing.

[Jesse]

10 years ,all you would need to do is apply for a certificate of lawfulness , and in the case of an unlawfull mobile home its only 4 years. Don't waste your money on a consultant if you can prove your position and the length of time just submit the paper work your self.

 

An Affidavit from a respectable professional member of society should suffice, even better if the are a Parish Councillor, or linked some how to your LA , Its sad to say, its not what you know, its who you know.

[Rick2517]

It would be classed as change of use to commercial ,we have a site which we have just been served an enforcement notice on ,it's a woodland with nearest neighbour 400m away no chainsaws used just telehandler an hydraulic splitter and drying shed for which we have consent under permitted development 17 years down the line we have the enforcement on us and to appeal the notice will cost us over £5k in planning consultant fees alone .

The notice says change of use from woodland to woodland and processing timber for commercial purposes.

My point is you may get away with it for a while but as others have said sooner or later some nimby will complain and the council will always respond causing you more grief than a few logs sales are worth!!

 

I really feel for you mate, I hope you manage to sort this mess out. The powers that be make it almost impossible to run a business in this country and the wonder why it's in such a financial mess!!

[stonerfan]

My house sits in its own wood, or did before I cleared three qaurters of the scrub and made a paddock, but keeping the substatial trees. The clearance has kept my woodstove going these last 5 years. Ive cleared it all myself with a chainsaw tractor Mconnell bench and a splitter off the tractor.

I wanted to buy in some cord and get a processor to sell the excess logs but after reading this topic Im wondering if I will be in hot water with the LA. The surrounding houses are all in large plots of 3 acres or more and I havent had any complaints about noise so far but the lane into here is narrow so a regular cord delivery might stir thing up a bit.

I also have a yard but not near where I live. The yard has lorry access and is concreted and sits next to National Trust land but is also next to two detached houses. If I got planning to use it as a wood processing yard would it be something a log business would be interested in purchasing the freehold of. Its about 13000 sq feet and was previously a council roadworks yard.

Just wondering really if it would be viable as a wood yard or too valuable at around £200k

to use for log processing.

[Jesse]

My house sits in its own wood, or did before I cleared three qaurters of the scrub and made a paddock, but keeping the substatial trees. The clearance has kept my woodstove going these last 5 years. Ive cleared it all myself with a chainsaw tractor Mconnell bench and a splitter off the tractor.

I wanted to buy in some cord and get a processor to sell the excess logs but after reading this topic Im wondering if I will be in hot water with the LA. The surrounding houses are all in large plots of 3 acres or more and I havent had any complaints about noise so far but the lane into here is narrow so a regular cord delivery might stir thing up a bit.

I also have a yard but not near where I live. The yard has lorry access and is concreted and sits next to National Trust land but is also next to two detached houses. If I got planning to use it as a wood processing yard would it be something a log business would be interested in purchasing the freehold of. Its about 13000 sq feet and was previously a council roadworks yard.

Just wondering really if it would be viable as a wood yard or too valuable at around £200k

to use for log processing.

 

Just plod on slowly and deal with any objections should they develop .