"Michael Berridge" wrote in
:

Chris Nellist wrote in message ...
As for your point about building, no, I wouldn't support the abolition
of
all controls over putting up buildings. But what I said 'bloody local
councils' to was the report about how a local council made someone
restore
his garden to farmland. I would certainly support the abolition of all
restrictions on turning pieces of farmland into gardens, which is what
this
bloke did. There are no such restrictions in Ireland and it hasn't led
the
sky to cave in Turning a field into a garden is not by any stretch
of
the imagination an anti-social act, and does not require to be stomped
on
or addressed by the authorities in the way that genuinely anti-social
acts
do.

The problem many councils would have with that is that people taking
over bits of field to create a new garden, then new owners come along
and think. mm it would be nice to build a small bungalow for granny on
that area of garden. So they apply to do that, then that place for
granny gets sold, the new owners buy some more field, and so unto the
whole field is suddenly a line of new houses.

Councils could prevent that by keeping to a firm policy on building.
There's no need to stop people lawning over bits of cabbage-fields. It
would only be the thin end of the wedge if the council allowed it to be. If
any council actually states such a fear as their reason, I hope it gets
challenged some time - an applicant would surely have a strong case at
judicial review if they say 'look, I'm not applying to do what the Council
say they fear someone may do in the future'.

Chris