The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: mojocafa on September 30, 2013, 01:26:06 pm
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I have horse box as field shelter and local planning enforcement officer has appeared to advise I need permission if they are not on skids. What are skids and how easy to make?
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I guess skids are just large planks of wood/beams placed underneath rather than the vehicle being on wheels ???
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Well you just have to have something "movable" without planning!
As zakthelad says, the skids are planks of wood, bent a bit in front, something of a shape of horse sleigh skids.
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I would think a horsebox on wheels also qualifies as 'moveable'?!
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Skids = big Skis. Although how you get them under the horsebox and fixed onto it so you can move it is beyond me - I presume it doesn't have wheels.
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So how do I make big skis?
Indiot proof instruction please
Mojo
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I would think a horsebox on wheels also qualifies as 'moveable'?!
Anything on wheels... Caravan, old bus...
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Amazing what Google can find - http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?173432-Field-shelters-with-skids (http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?173432-Field-shelters-with-skids) :excited:
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Thanks for that, most helpful. But if a box had skids I would still need a tractor to tow I presume.
I suggested to my local council jobs worth, sorry, enforcement officer, that my horse box was portable as I had a fork lift that could move it so what's the difference? He said this was not acceptable!
Has anyone else had this problem?
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Jobs worth sounds correct to me !
If you have a forklift and can move it then that should be fine.
pick it up and put it somewhere else for their next visit.
Make some cosmetic skids so it looks the part. .. but prob more effort than making functional ones.
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Just keep saying that you are making them - keep them stringing along - as long as you dont have any opposition except the lame asre law - dont worry about it.
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They often interpret moveable as pullable/towable by a vehicle. Liftable they dont count even if its easier. Its all a bit of a nonsense. But stick to your guns, the law says the structure must be capable of being moved, anything else is policy and interpretation they are adding.
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Thanks folks
M & L - do you know we're I can get a copy/quote of the "law"
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Thanks folks
M & L - do you know we're I can get a copy/quote of the "law"
Google section 55 of the Town and Country Planning act 1990, this is the applicable legislation. Councils acknowledge its effect (which means a mobile shelter is not counted as a 'building' but then try to define what mobile means in sometimes extremely draconian ways. In reality if it is on skids, no more than 24x12 so it can be towed and has no floor and not used as permanent housing for anything they are on a sticky wicket.
It's essential to comply with the act that no flooring is put in, not concrete but also eg not imported aggregate, as this has been held by courts to breach top he temporary mobile nature (and anyway are works which require PP specifically) and also that the shelter is used as just that, without it being used to 'keep' the animals in eg horses in it as a stable, feeding supplementary feed in it etc.
NB if you use the shelter for horses (this may be more for other posters) and get into a battle regarding mobility of shelter council will often change tack to then pointing out that horses aren't agricultural and try and get you on the lands planning class as equestrian is a different class to agricultural. If so, bear in mind horse grazing IS classed as an agricultural use of the land even tho horses aren't agricultural animals but it needs to be just that, not them being stabled in the shelter or fed supplementary feed to any extend on the land, no show jumps etc.
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They often interpret moveable as pullable/towable by a vehicle. Liftable they dont count even if its easier. Its all a bit of a nonsense. But stick to your guns, the law says the structure must be capable of being moved, anything else is policy and interpretation they are adding.
I should add by stick to your guns I mean add the skids and then stick to your guns, the skids are the thing that make it comply in the definition of portable and that has been confirmed in court, so they are essential and council is correct in telling you the shelter must have them if it's not a wheeled structure.