Planning permission. Even the rich and famous have to comply!

You may have seen in the news that, as an ex-Bond girl and English football team player found out, planning permission may be required for more than just buildings.

Bond Girl Chops Down Tree

Fiona Fullerton, famous for playing KGB spy Pola Ivanova in the 1985 bond film, a View to a Kill, recently came under fire from her neighbours for chopping down two trees outside her house, some of the locals even went as far as describing the work as an act of ‘vandalism’.

It transpired that Ms Fullerton had sought advice from a number of tree surgeons who advised that one of trees was unsafe and even the council agreed that the trees were inappropriate for the area. Technically Ms Fullerton had done nothing wrong as she had gone to the trouble of obtaining permission enabling her to fell the two cypress trees in front of her property. However, Ms Fullerton does demonstrate a valuable lesson in that consent can be required for tree felling and failure to comply can result in a visit from your local council.

Tree Preservation Order

It is also worth noting that any trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) cannot be lopped or felled without the express consent of the council and if your property is located in a conservation area ALL trees are treated as being subject to a TPO, so consent must be sought.

England Footballer Adam Lallana at play

In another recent story, England footballer Adam Lallana, who is currently representing the country in the World Cup in Brazil, was criticised for building a large play area in his back garden without planning permission.

Neighbours complained about the appearance of the multi-use basket ball court and football pitch and upon investigation planning officers established that the height of the structure meant that planning consent was required.

In order to prevent a potential order for the demolition of the facility, Lallana will have to either adjust the height or submit a retrospective planning application. With England already out of the World Cup he will have plenty of time on his hands to resolve the issue.

These are complicated issues to before you take action please seek professional advice. We work with a number of planning advisors who will be able to assist you.

More Information

For more information or to discuss these issues please contact us.

This article was written by Julien Pritchard. Julien is a Partner in commercial property, company & commercial Law. This article is only intended to provide a general summary and does not constitute legal advice. Specific legal advice should be taken on each individual matter. This article is based on the Law as at July 2014.