Residents cut down a wood on Bristol railway line without permission to improve their views

[adrock1976]

Are we all twigging onto something here?

 

[A Challenge]

My house has a converted garage. It's been like that for over 10 years. The local council probably didn't give permission for it and it doesn't look like it's up to proper building regulations (although it is a solid piece of work!). The council wouldn't be able to challenge it now as it's been in plain view for all that time.
The man who hid a house behind the hay bales though - that's hidden and so is different.

This is referring to the four year rule is it?

 

[edwin_m]

Perhaps the email/message trail was rather less than clear cut?

Yes, lots of conflicting stories, so it's hard to see the wood for...

They should have kept a log of everything.

 

[AM9]

This is referring to the four year rule is it?

The 'four year rule' can apply to unplanned development but some transgressions of building regulations may invite a notice to rectify in the case of an inhabited construction. There have been cases of garages and other outhouses being used to pack in renters (mainly migrants) in some London suburbs. The environmental health departments that raided them and declared them unfit for human habitation used non-compliance of building regulations as justification of their operations. There is also the question of domestic insurance claims being denied if building regulation violations are discovered particularly as they wouldn't usually be declared when taking any policies out.

 

[Strat-tastic]

Leaf it out you lot; you're all barking mad

 

[HowardGWR]

Good job there are no malapropisms so far, and I write that with deciduous attention to the subject of the thread.