Lovely

There's absolutely no way I'd challenge any enforcement action or just put a loo in. The toilet was approved re: siting & design I just had a feeling that I should undertake some due diligence and check that all was good to go (no pun intended.) Then I was hit with the certification request. The loo would be for me and visitors ie. friends and people helping in the wood - inc arborists, handymen (re: fence repairs etc.) I'm not operating a camping site or anything that planning would have issue with. Maybe an occasional Macmillan coffee morning - nothing that would constitute a material change of use.

Scary stuff.

A very fair point, I have gone though the correct procedure and the toilet has actually been approved re: siting & design it's just the forestry usage angle that is the thing. This is why I thought it useful to post - even though there is no legal requirement to undertake forestry on agric land the council are using this as opportunity for refusal. The kicker is that I am undertaking forestry and the council have chosen to ignore this fact. I just thought it was useful to highlight, as someone might have similar experience now or in the future. You can present facts to a council and they can basically choose to ignore them and force you into an appeal process.

Ok I've mentioned I'm a horti only to indicate that I'm there for quite a while not just an hour or so here & there, I'm undertaking chainsaw work, processing wood, deadwooding, creating deadhedging, propagating etc - so when you're there for a significant time sometimes a loo is rather necessary. The previous owner of the wood showed me the bid - sealed bids are often used in house purchase. If people could get away with an offer of say 'I'll give you £500 over the asking price' it makes a mockery of the whole process. Also in the sealed bid process the seller is not duty bound to accept the highest offer.

No idea. Quite a few allotments have them, as well as woodland campsites, arboretums... Perhaps I'll just squat over a bucket - I'm sure the neighbours would love that.

I take your point but I'm a horticulturalist working in a wood, in that regard why do some allotments have toilets? They have plenty of buckets on site.

No I'm not planning to live there. Some of my would-be visitors would not feel comfortable using a bucket. Everyone has a right to sanitation.

Great info but the forestry issue is a complete misnomer the land is designated agricultural. The definition of which includes forestry as well as fruit growing and horticuture. Yes it's small site but shelter and a loo (which after all is a human right- 'the right to sanitation') is not a major ask. I do not live next to the land. The key issue that should be of concern here is that councils seem able to 'interpet' planning law v subjectively. Even though not relevant to pd on agric land, I included a shedload of info about the forestry undertaken in my planning statement yet the council ignored it all. How can a council wait 7months and then come up with the very same result without any site visit let alone phone conversation? Call me old fashioned but that is fundamentally wrong. No other industry to my knowledge acts in this way.

Best suggestion so far. 😂

You are right however the land is designated as agriculture, the focus on forestry is a complete misnomer. I am a horticulturalist some shelter and storage irrespective of the size of the land is not a big ask. Access to adequate sanitation is also a human right. If this kind of malarkey goes unchallenged then it will get worse. I have been defamed by both the parish and district council - in this day & age - there is no place for old-school tactics like these. My mum is in the final stage of vascular dementia, this wood was to be my respite and if I want the basics of a loo then with respect I will jolly well fight for it. BTW When the neighbours tried to buy the land their bid was "£1000 over the highest bid' - which makes a mockery of the sealed bid process - that's the kind of people you're dealing with. All I'm doing is standing up for myself and my rights. I don't expect everyone to agree. My one shed is at the back of the wood hidden away, the loo will be at the far side again not in view. I'm causing no issue to anyone but bullying is the lowest of the low.

There was no chance I could just put a loo in I am surrounded one one side by the neighbours that tried to buy the land. My would-be visitors are of a certain age and would not be happy using a pit/bucket. Yes I mean an FOI request - they are the gifts that keep on giving. For example - email quotes from the tree officer: 'I've bodged an extra heritage condition' and 'the tree report could be more robust but it could swing by if you want it gone.' 😐The loo is only part of the story I have so much other stuff it's a real old pals act between the parish and the district council - maybe I should write that book!

I would love to lob in a blue portalooo but the wood is within a conservation area. I'm not planning on living in the wood it's just that the people who'd like to visit aren't keen on using a bucket or a pit. This is also only a tiny part of the story the parish council have been after me for 4yrs it's a vendetta and I'm honestly not being OTT.

Brill!

Brilliant!

No not at all but some of my customers whom I've been gardening for, many many years are of an age & polite disposition that they don't want to choose a tree or bucket. 🙂

This is an odd one. I've been waiting 7months for a sign off for a certificate of lawfulness for...a compost loo in a tiny private woodland which I own called Lovelywood (it's in Bucks.) Oddly the loo has already been approved by the district council re: siting & design. But the council emailed that 'Forestry is not being undertaken' so we need you to now submit a cert of lawfulness - otherwise you'll be susceptible to Enforcement Action. I queried this and they revealed the info (about usage) actually came from a third party... Firstly it's agric land so 'forestry is only part of the T&C official definition (which also inc fruit growing & horticulture.) Why the onus on forestry is beyond me, as there's no legislation to back it up. I wasn't going to give up so I commissioned a planning consultant (BTW a v nice chap) and the resulting planning statement was full of info about the trees I planted and ongoing maintenance work inc deadwooding, pruning etc. I decided to go back to the council's original case notes in case I'd missed something and they stated that it's a 'small woodland being managed by the owner for the cultivation and management of trees' (!!!) I'm a fulltime horticulturalist working 5 jobs a week to keep my mum (91 - immobile + vasc dementia) safe & sound in a carehome. On Monday, the council refused the cert of lawfulness based on the very same reason of 'forestry not taking place.' Absolutely nothing has happened in 7months, no site visit - not even a phone call. An appeal will cost me £2k - I'm seriously considering a GoFundMe page - obv to help fundraise but also to highlight what planners are capable of. It's total arrogance and blatant old school bullying tactics + they obviously think that I'll not be able to afford the appeal. The same council also had a staff member ring me at home to ask me to withdraw an FOI Request - I have enough ammo to write a flippin' book(!) Anyone had similar experience? Should I do a GoFundMe page? Oh yes the other thing to mention - when I bought the land a consortium of neighbours tried to buy it - two were members of the local parish council - the one who was the named as the actual bidder is the current vice chairman 😐 Ever felt stitched-up like the proverbial kipper?! Thank you for reading ;0)