housing legality .....

[glacidtek]

just wondering if anyone has any info on the legality of buying a little bit of land/woodland and setting up as self suficient - probably living initialy in a caravan.

i'm sure theres lots of legal techicalitys to consider, does anyone know much about what you can get away with?

any advice appreciated,
mike.

[psych641]

I remember a documentary from a long time ago where this family had made a beautiful house in the woods. They were ordered to dismantle it for some regulation or other. This is the UK.

On the other hand i saw a documentary recently where a professional woodsman /heritage teacher (IIRC) did live in a traditional wooden circular hut, all sourced from the locality.

It would be great to combine this approach with declaring yourself a freeman / sovereign person. If you had total ownership of the land and were free from state law, i suppose in theory you could do as you pleased.

Ideally it would be politically effective to establish a 'free' communities in existing town - whereby a block of people living in close quarters effectively reclaimed common ownership of land from the state. If a better standard of living could be achieved, and it spread faster than TPTB could block, neutralise or subvert it then we would win :)

[the itinerant shrubber]

Woodland is relatively cheap cos it doesnt have planning permision which means you cant build a permanent structure. Lots of building arent considered permanent though like caravans and straw bale houses.

[glacidtek]

ok, cool - thanks for the information folks.

[tom bombadil]

I remember that program and it was talked of a lot at http://www.itsnoteasybeinggreen.org/forum/?CFID=1879801&CFTOKEN=92175765 go to that site and do a search on 'grand designs'.

The problem with caravans and the like is that the local council officer wont let you live in it for more than 10-11 months a year as it is deemed to be a holiday home. The Grand Design house was allowed cos the bloke got a living (his main income) from the place so he was allowed to build a permanent structure that HAD to be removed when he stopped earning from that land. He could have built a log cabin or bought a caravan. But this guy was an artist and dreamer. I remember the end of the program too, and he was hoping to leave it to his boy. The lad could argue later on that he had no choice but to live there and now it is his home, he has a right to stay. Right on brother. :p

I do recomend the above web site glacidtek It is a pleasant place and the help is fantastic. (look up the 'Hobbit House' its lovely).


Tom.

[glacidtek]

just having a look just now tom.

cheers.

[glacidtek]

tom:

cheers, thats a great site, loads of usefull info - thanks.

cant find anything on the hobbit house - do you have a link?

[tom bombadil]

Welllll.. Its not called a hobbit house exactly, but you will understand when you see it. I am looking. Give me a day or two. Let me know if I forget.

Tom. ;)

[glacidtek]

cheers tom