Planning Permission一个4年规矩：没有Permission的一个房子如果存在四年而其间council没有管过，那这房子就是合法的planning permission管不了啦，很多人为钻这个空子，就发挥“聪明才智”。Leiceter一对“聪明”的夫妻为了盖了一个房子藏Garage Door后面几年，不过最后还是没成功被council命令改回原样。
You can apply for Certificate of Lawfulness if you can demonstrate that:
There has been a continuous use of land or buildings (other than a dwelling) for more than 10 years.
A condition or limitation on a planning permission has not been complied with for more than 10 years.
Building or other operations have been completed for more than 4 years.
A building (not land) has been used as a dwelling house (house or flat) for more than 4 years.
Couple tried to dupe planners by disguising secret house as garage
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/12/couple-tried-dupe-planners-disguising-secret-house-garage/
A couple disguised a small secret home as a garage in an attempt to dupe council planners.
Dr Reeta Herzallah, 37, and partner Hamdi Almasri, 39, flouted planning laws by concealing the tiny detached property behind a fake garage door.
A court heard the couple also used a fence to hide the house that had been converted from an old garage at their property in Enderby, Leicestershire.
The couple, who have been under investigation by Blaby District Council since October 2015, have now been ordered to pay more than £2,000.
After failing to attend court or enter pleas, they were convicted of a raft of planning breaches in their absence at Leicester Magistrates’ Court.
They were ordered to pay a £700 fine, £1,252 in legal costs and a £77 victim surcharge.
The pair will also have to restore the garage to its former use. It was also heard how the couple had created an unauthorised vehicle access onto a dual-carriageway.
After receiving reports of the breaches in October 2015, Blaby District Council approached Herzallah and Almasri in an attempt to rectify the situation.
The pair submitted a retrospective planning application in July 2016, but this was rejected and dismissed on appeal by the Planning Inspectorate in February last year.
In May and June, they undertook some “remedial works”, which included removing some of the excess fencing.
However, follow up inspections in July, August and November showed that no work had been done to the garage, leading the council to seek prosecution.
Councillor Sheila Scott, the council’s cabinet member for planning, said: "The message from this case is clear.
“If you breach planning regulations and ignore us, we will not just go away.”
Couple hid house behind garage door to flout planning laws
http://metro.co.uk/2018/02/12/couple-hid-house-behind-garage-door-flout-planning-laws-7306807/
