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Family told to take down teenage son's playhouse on stilts
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard13.06.08
Parents of a teenage boy have been ordered to dismantle his playhouse in a council clampdown on treehouses.
James Tolley, 13, of Pinner, has used the 5.45 metre-tall garden hut as a den for two years. But after a complaint from a neighbour the council has ordered it be taken down and has refused an application for retrospective planning permission.
His father, Neil, said today: "My son loves it. He's going to be very upset. I think the council has been spiteful."
Garden buildings require planning permission if they are more than four metres tall or cover more than half the garden.
Councillor Marilyn Ashton said Harrow would not allow large structures to be built in people's back gardens without approval.
She added: "Everyone remembers treehouses from their childhood but a treehouse earns that name by being in a tree - you can't build a large shed on stilts next to a tree and call it a treehouse. If these structures are big enough to overlook other properties, you can get complaints from neighbours. Everyone wants to enjoy the summer outside with their children and we can all do that by remembering a few common-sense rules."
Reader views (8)
I am a landscape designer building garden strustures . it looks as though the supports are 6X6 posts ,You could improvise by lowering your tree house and have a deck at the higher level , maybe planting a climber to camoflauge.
unfortunately some people in this country are jealous of others.
- Charlie Barker, pinner ,uk
If Mr Tolly built a concrete, pitched tiled roof, or even a flat roof,'workshop' with electricity and running water, at ground level in his back garden, this would be quite acceptable to harrow council, and he would'nt even need planning permission. As the back gardens of harrow borough are full of these so called workshops already.
- Annie, harrow
Another article refers to the fact James cannot look into other's yards, nor can neighbours see him. What's the big deal?
- Stephen, Cincinnati, OH
He is only 13,and he wants some fun .
- Ben, Hastings
Exactly, Triffid Queen from Harrow: "Why can't people mind their own business"? and not make their business the business of the people next door ---- in other words, who wants to see or hear a kid from next door towering over their garden fence (which can only be 6-ft high maximum)? I certainly wouldn't want to be eye balled by a youth high above me next door and I wouldn't have thought you would either unless you're an exhibitionist.
- Judith C, London
Give the neighbour a good hiding. It'll hopefully teach them not to poke their nose where it doesn't belong.
- A.Winsor, Southampton England
The neighbours don't sound like people who have much fun, so I can only wonder what they do in their garden that needs to be hidden from a little boy?
- Chris, Bullion France
Why can't people mind their own business?
You can quite easily peer into someone else's garden from a bedroom window anyway, what difference does a tree house make!
If neighbours want to be nosey, then all they have to do is go to google earth for a really good look!
- Triffid Queen, Harrow
