A couple who bought a playhouse for their children have been told by their local council that they must remove it from their front garden.
The Huffington Post reports:
"Michael Heron, 26, and Jenna Hulme, 25, bought the £239 play house for their daughter Remie, one, and son Jacob, four, but bosses at the council rejected the application and have argued the size and prominent setting is not acceptable. The couple were told to apply for permission for the 5ft 7in play house from the council after First Choice Homes Oldham received a complaint. They complied but their application was refused."
I'm hardly sure where to begin with this. First up, who complains to the local council about a child's playhouse in said child's own garden? And what local councilor in his or her right mind would see fit to insist that a couple apply for planning permission for such a thing? And as for turning down the planning application? Sweet mercy, don't people have real things to worry about anymore?
Apparently the council's beef is with the fact that the play house is in the couple's front garden but, as they point out, they don't have a back garden.
A councillor reportedly said that while he felt some "sympathy" for the family, Government legislation charges the council with protecting the visual appearance of the area.
However the couple have said they won't remove the playhouse unless they're forced to do so, so who knows what will happen next.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on this story. Have you ever heard anything quite so silly? And what would you do in this situation? Come and join the conversation over on our Facebook page.
Comments