A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Robert Fidler, a farmer who built a four-bedroom home in Salfords, Surrey, in 2000 without planning permission, after he missed a hearing.
Reigate and Banstead borough ordered the house, which was initially concealed behind straw bales, to be demolished in 2007. An appeal to a planning inspector was rejected, and this decision was upheld in the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
The local council said that allowing the building – a mock Tudor castle – to remain would be unacceptable because of the precedent it would set for developments within the green belt.
The Independent, p. 19
