TV star Noel Edmonds despairs at planners' 'lack of sense'
TV STAR Noel Edmonds will have to bulldoze a wildlife haven in his garden after falling foul of planning laws.
The Deal Or No Deal host had a lake built at his Grade II listed home in Bitton and used the excavated soil to create a mound on green belt land at the bottom of his garden.
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Noel Edmonds by one of the storage containers dug into the ground that have fallen foul of planning laws Picture: Michael Lloyd BRML20120105B-006_C
The mound has been planted with trees and wild flowers, and Mr Edmonds says it attracts badgers, bees and butterflies. But it will have to be removed because planning officials have ruled it is too high. He will also have to move two storage containers he dug into the ground to hide them from view – but he will be allowed to put them on the surface, where he says they will create an eyesore.
Mr Edmonds accused South Gloucestershire Council of wasting taxpayers' money and said officials lacked "common sense". But he promised to comply with the orders and remove the mound and sheds.
Mr Edmonds and his wife, Elizabeth, were granted planning permission in 2009 to build a conservation lake, a new driveway, mooring jetty and a one-metre high embankment.
When planning officers visited last year they found the mound was too high – five metres – and that it was on "agricultural land" on the green belt that, despite being owned by the couple, was not part of their "residential" land. They also found the storage sheds, which were not allowed to be dug in.
Mr Edmonds and his wife applied for retrospective planning permission for the work, but were refused. The council then issued an enforcement notice ordering them to reverse the work not covered by the original planning permission.
An appeal to the Planning Inspectorate failed to overturn the planning decision and enforcement notice, with inspectors deciding the storage sheds "encroached" on to the green belt, and that the development was inappropriate.
After being contacted by the Evening Post Mr Edmonds invited us to see the work.
He said: "We worked very closely with South Gloucestershire planners and have made a really important conservation environment for the green belt. It was not some sort of vanity project, where I got a digger out and had a mess-about. I hired the best people I could, and there was no complaint from the Environment Agency or council environment officers about any aspect of the work.
"I never thought anyone would argue about the height of the mound, as it is dwarfed by a 30m railway line next to it. Now a fir hedge will have to come down so we can spread the earth on our field next door.
"We will dig up the storage sheds, but we buried them to make them invisible and environmentally friend- ly. The insanity is that we could turn the field into a scrap heap and the council could do nothing about it, but we bury them and they complain.
"It is such a waste of public money and an abuse of local authority power. People are losing their jobs and facilities and this his how the council spends its money.
"I am not saying we are special because I am on telly, and we will abide by the decision, but I would like to think that someone from the council might allow us some latitude and interpretation of the judgement."
A council spokesman said: "The process of granting planning permission helps the council to manage development according to pre-agreed principles, ensuring that South Gloucestershire remains a great place to live and work for all of our residents.
"The enforcement notices issued in this case reflected the fact that development at the site had not been undertaken in accordance with planning permission and it is in the wider public interest that these decisions were upheld by the Planning Inspectorate."
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by mr_ianc
Monday, April 09 2012, 12:00PM
“The UK needs one authority for planning issues. The present system is unfair and works on a post code lottery. I live in North Gloucester, a neighbour has recently bought a copse and part of a field adjoining their house. They were told by planning that they could not take it into their garden. SO THEY WENT AHEAD ANYWAY BECAUSE THEY REGARD THEMSELVES AS ..."Special people" : they moved the fences and using a digger, sanitised the Copse with TPO'd trees in it. Then guess what.... planning visited and said its OK ! garbled something about "Case Law" and walked away. This is clearly a case of "taking green belt land into your garden". I now hear its because of the cost of fighting such cases they are ignored. How unfair is this ?”
by Charlespk
Friday, January 06 2012, 10:57PM
“Oh dear Frankclack. . You've really started something now. . You'd better wear some body armour.
Don't worry too much about DockLobster. . He's harmless enough. . He's an arthropod alright, but I think he's just crayfish with King David's Reaction. . There's a lot of about now on this site.
Goodnight all :)”
by Frankclack
Friday, January 06 2012, 10:33PM
“frank1958.
I don't know.
But what I do know is that Mr. Edmunds lives quietly in his area, lives and lets live, and from outward appearances is far from the big "I am " that most people here are accusing him of being.
Why don't people mind their own business, and unless something directly impinges on their well being, allow others to live their life as they wish.
If this work hadn't been carried out by "a celeb", it would have gone through "on the nod".
What he should have done is invited a busload of planners around for a site visit "jolly", buttered them up, and then there WOULD have been something to get irate about.
Slighted planners can be every bit as vindictive as are some on this site.
People comment that everyone should be treated the same. I suggest that in this case, because of who he is, he wasn't!”
by roly12345
Friday, January 06 2012, 10:10PM
“If only he had put a table, two chairs and a sign up advertising expensive coffee.”
by Frankclack
Friday, January 06 2012, 9:43PM
“DockLobster.
If you mean by "parochial" that Bristol is near to the area of South Glos., that is a matter of fact.
But the mindset of most who live within the City boundaries is a world away from people living in the surrounding areas, most of whom were born in the City but moved out at the earliest opportunity. And ask any of them ............. it was the best move that they ever made.
And they didn't move out at the time because they particularly wanted to. It was because the then City Council were interested only in building what today is referred to as "social housing", and it was almost impossible to buy a new house within the city boundary.
Although we didn't realise it at the time, they did us a favour for which we are eternally grateful. Reading the spiteful and ill informed comments on this story, which has absolutely no effect on the day to day life of those who have responded in such a mean fashion, is a reminder of how fortune has smiled upon us parochial escapee's.”
by frank1958
Friday, January 06 2012, 9:21PM
“How do you know where the commentors live Frankclack ??”
by spikalie
Friday, January 06 2012, 8:59PM
“Well done South Glos! A stellar decision reached by a hardworking department. This isn't the first time that edmonds has ignored planning laws.I hope the planners celebrate thier victory with the same vigour that edmonds uses when he bad mouths them.”
by DockLobster
Friday, January 06 2012, 8:55PM
“Dear FrankClack
We all live near South Glos, dont be so parochial.”
by Arian16
Friday, January 06 2012, 8:28PM
“The couple have helped the Council greatly in other aspects of the environment and should be commended and it is unfortunate that they fell foul of the planning laws, but everyone must be treated the same by the Council..”
by Frankclack
Friday, January 06 2012, 8:25PM
“It's interesting, and not a little dispiriting to read most of the comments on this subject, particularly when it seems that the majority of those commenting don't even live anywhere near the South Glos. area in question. If anyone needs a crash course in why Bristol lags so far behind the majority of comparable towns and cities in the country, reading some of the ignorant comments here would leave them in no doubt as to the reason.
I don't watch Mr. Edmunds on the TV because I don't like his current shows, but I respect his position in the entertainment business as he has had a great deal of success in a very demanding industry. He has also earned (yes EARNED) a great deal of money for himself.
In Bristol to be both a success AND wealthy is abhorrent to the average left leaning "country cousins" who blight the nether regions of this once thriving city, and that is plainly evident from some of the comments posted on this subject.
Thankfully, I live much nearer to Mr. Edmunds than I do to the centre of the City of my birth, and along with most others who share the areas around where he resides, I am happy for him to live in the community for as long as wishes to remain here.”