Very interesting thread... I hope Bev managed to win in the end...
I, too, have had a couple of 'dreaded council visits'... I bought an acre of PDL (Previously Developed Land)... It has a small redundant building on it... an old pumping station with B1 permission... I'd like to move onto the land and use the building as an artist's studio, whilst creating a nature reserve... the land has not been cultivated for years and consists of clay & rubble... great for wildflowers, but not much else.
Where I have messed up is by putting up a grain silo to store tools & stuff... it's classed as unauthorised development.
Normally, B1 has automatic planning permission to convert to a dwelling, but the council has slapped an article 4 directive on it, so there's no right to develop without PP.
As I say, there have been 2 visits from planning enforcement officers, telling me I have the right to apply retrospectively, but that my application will be refused because it is greenbelt land!
I note on this thread that it's best to wait for an enforcement notice and go to appeal... this does seem sensible under the circumstances... I just worry about the costs... I'm retired and my total income is ££300 per month... no savings!
If I put in a retrospective application though, it will be money down the drain...
Does anyone think I have any hope of remaining here eventually? They can't touch the pumping station as there has been a building on this land continuously for more than 100 years...
Just to show how strange the council is... a landowner just 500m away and in an almost identical situation as myself has just been granted full planning permission to turn an old redundant shed into a pair of semi detached cottages.
I live in hope!