Businessman ordered to remove flat hidden in Cotswolds stables

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 16:32 · Archive

James George has been ordered to remove a one-bedroom flat built without planning permission inside horse stables on his Cotswolds estate.

James George, a 54-year-old Oxfordshire businessman, has been ordered to rip out a one-bedroom flat hidden inside horse stables on his £2.25 million Cotswolds estate near Chipping Norton. The stable building was erected in 2014 with planning documents for stables, feed storage and accommodation. A residential unit was completed within it in 2015, which George argues was occupied continuously from that point onwards.

West Oxfordshire District Council argued the flat did not have planning permission for residential use. The accommodation was occupied by a series of tenants and family members over the years, including George's mother during chemotherapy treatment and his partner Jeanette Mann from 2021 onwards. Under planning law, an unauthorised home may escape enforcement if it has been used continuously as a residence for ten years before council action.

In November 2023, George sought to prove the dwelling lawful through long-term use. The council issued an enforcement notice in November 2024, which George appealed to the Planning Inspectorate. After a site visit in July this year, the Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal and upheld the enforcement notice.

How it is being reported

• Man ordered to rip out 'secret flat' on £2.25m Cotswolds estate after 10 yearsA man secretly lived in a flat hidden inside horse stables on his £2.25 million Cotswolds estate, near Jeremy Clarkson's farm, will have to rip it out.Oxfordshire Guardian · 12 Oct, 16:00
• Man ordered to rip out 'secret flat' on £2.25m Cotswolds estate after 10 yearsA man secretly lived in a flat hidden inside horse stables on his £2.25 million Cotswolds estate, near Jeremy Clarkson's farm, will have to rip it out.Oxford Mail · 12 Oct, 16:00

In this story: James George · West Oxfordshire District Council · Chipping Norton · Jeanette Mann · Planning Inspectorate

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