Businessman ordered to demolish granny flat in horse stable

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 16:57 · Archive

A haulage boss has been ordered to demolish a one-bedroom flat he built inside horse stables on his Cotswolds estate.

James George, a 54-year-old haulage boss, has been ordered to demolish a one-bedroom flat he built inside horse stables on his £2.25million Cotswolds estate near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. The flat was constructed within the horseshoe-shaped timber stable block at Chalford Paddocks, a 15-acre property that also includes a traditional four-bedroom stone house.

George says he has lived in the stable flat for the past five years following an amicable separation from his partner, and that the arrangement helped him remain close to their son. In November 2023, he approached West Oxfordshire District Council requesting a Certificate of Lawfulness for the residential conversion, arguing the flat had existed long enough to warrant protection from planning enforcement. The council rejected his application.

Planning inspector David Jones dismissed George's challenge to enforcement action and ordered him to cease using the stables as accommodation, remove fixtures and fittings, and return the space to its original use within six months. The property is currently advertised for sale.

How it is being reported

• Man living in flat he ‘secretly’ built inside horse stable ordered to demolish itThe £2.25m Cotswolds estate is near Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm A businessman who asked the council to officially recognise a small home he had built inside his horse stables has been ordered to strip it out completely. 54-year-old James George says he’s lived in the tiny one-bedroom flat…Metro · 12 Oct, 16:39
• Businessman secretly living inside a 'granny flat' hidden inside a horse stable on his £2.25million Cotswolds estate for nearly TEN YEARS must tear it downHaulage boss James George, 54, has been told to strip out the cosy one-bed hideaway in a horseshoe-shaped stable block on land near affluent Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire.Daily Mail · 11 Oct, 10:55

In this story: James George · West Oxfordshire District Council · Chipping Norton · Cotswolds · Oxfordshire · David Jones

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