Hut owner wins battle to keep living in off-grid home he built

An off-grid hut that produces its own heating and electricity can continue to be the home of the man who built it, a council has decided.

Geoffrey Finnimore, a self-employed architectural designer, erected the structure in Glandwr, near Crymych, in 2020, but never told authorities or asked for permission.

Pembrokeshire council told him he must apply for retrospective permission for the home that is self-sufficient, and also collects rain water.

However, the local authority found that because it has now been occupied as a home for more than four years, it is immune from prosecution action.

"Without my home, which I created to solve my own problems without state assistance, having to pay for other accommodation would be catastrophic for my finances and well-being," Finnimore said.

The council asked him to apply for a lawful development certificate for the property.

This is a formal legal document confirming the development is lawful.

But as he had lived there for more than four years, it meant he could not be prosecuted, so his application was accepted, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Finnimore has been the principal custodian of 4.5 acres of land at Coed Troednoeth, Tir y Gafel since the previous owner left in 2018.

They had lived at the site in a campervan with a lean-to structure, according to the council.

But Finnimore described this as "less than adequate" for his health and well-being, so started developing the hut.

In a personal statement to the local authority, he confirmed he had lived at the site for more than 10 years, earns less than £10,000 a year as a self-employed worker, and provided evidence of his long-term residency.

He added: "This application has been sought by the council, and I have had to comply out of a position of vulnerability with respect to the prospect of enforcement against a building and living situation that has been demonstrated to be well-established and that I hold is deemed lawful."

"In the context of a housing and a cost-of-living crisis I have taken care of my own needs.

"So far as the council's responsibilities in that context goes, I see that as one less problem to solve.

"Conversely, I would consider a rejection of a well-justified application like this as a contribution that exacerbates these deep and present social concerns."

Council officers granted the certificate because they found, on the balance of probabilities, that Coed Troednoeth had existed and been occupied as a home for more than four years before the application, making it immune from enforcement action.

It added: "In June 2020, the land was purchased by Mr Finnimore and in November 2020, he began using the building as his principal dwelling, hence the justification to apply for a certificate of lawful use."