Help please
The local allotment association are looking at the possibility of acquiring a large greenhouse/poly tunnel for the use of the plot holders.
we have been offered an allotment to use by the council and have on offer of a large 20' X 50' Dutch light greenhouse with a supply of spare lights free of charge (it is in good condition and is only available as the site has been sold for building).
Any comments on pitfalls and etc. Should we use a poly tunnel instead? if so why?
Does anyone who have a similar scheme and if so how does it run?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jon
Help! Communal Greenhouse / poly tunnel
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
Hi John,
Grab that Greenhouse as soon as you can!! Here, I am not allowed Greenhouses only Poly Tunnels and for the last 30 years I have struggled with ventilation problems. All those years ago I would have given my eye teeth for a Greenhouse especially a Dutch Light.
As a Nursery it has made life unnecessarily hard without Greenhouses. My local Authority classify them as permanent structures which of course they are not as your LA have demonstrated.
Go for it now!!!
JB.
Grab that Greenhouse as soon as you can!! Here, I am not allowed Greenhouses only Poly Tunnels and for the last 30 years I have struggled with ventilation problems. All those years ago I would have given my eye teeth for a Greenhouse especially a Dutch Light.
As a Nursery it has made life unnecessarily hard without Greenhouses. My local Authority classify them as permanent structures which of course they are not as your LA have demonstrated.
Go for it now!!!
JB.
My reaction is if you can cope with moving and re-erection of the Dutch Light house get it anyway, you have nothing to lose. If it does not work out you can then contemplate a polytunnel. The commercial growers have forsaken Dutch Lights for structures with even larger glass to get the maximum light for winter cropping as there is a fair degree of shading by the timbers and it could be that using glass on a community basis you could have safety and accident problems not to mention possible vandalism. Maybe if all goes well you could end up with both!
With glass around do make sure of public liability insurance cover, you should have that anyway.
Allan
With glass around do make sure of public liability insurance cover, you should have that anyway.
Allan
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peter
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Go for it.
Only notes of caution I would echo are Allen's ones about accident cover, toddler runs into it or wacks it and especially the vandalism issue.
There is something about breaking glass that gets vandals very excited and they can do it from a distance with stones.
Chickenwire stretched over might be an answer, though it would be unsightly and cut down the light.
Only notes of caution I would echo are Allen's ones about accident cover, toddler runs into it or wacks it and especially the vandalism issue.
There is something about breaking glass that gets vandals very excited and they can do it from a distance with stones.
Chickenwire stretched over might be an answer, though it would be unsightly and cut down the light.
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.
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fen not fen
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Our local planning officer has decided polytunnels are buildings, as they are attached to the ground! Fortunately our tunnels fall within our permitted development rights but it means we can't build a packing shed without applying for planning permission!
Hi Fen,
I have now retired and the planning officer no longer bugs me over tunnels or greenhouses but you had to have planning permission for tunnels in this area. Polly tunnels are temporary structures and planning can be given without going through full planning. What cost me a lot of money is the drawings that had to be produced professionally because the LA would not except my own drawings.
Planning officers are a shower of absolute bastards and will muck you about for the smallest of reasons.
My tunnels were only allowed to go up two at a time
with a years interval in between. This means I had to keep on paying out every year and I found out that it was their ruling and NOT LAWFUL so I just put the rest up and they complained but could do nothing about it. There was no mention of that in the building regulations and I pointed this out to them and they went away. The law may well have changed now so you must be careful with what you do.
The Shed would need planning permission but there is no reason why they should refuse you. If they do refuse you they must say on what grounds they have refused you. Then you make enquiries with another local authority which adjoins yours and find out what their ruling is. Here I play the Southern office against the northern office and the results are amazing. The Northern office refused a habitation order because the new house did not have thermostatic radiator valves and the Southern office said whereas thermostatic radiator valves are a recommendation they are not building law. That is how picky they are where I live.
I live 11/2 miles outside a conservation area but they try to make out that anything we do will affect the conservation area so they tell you this and that but in law they have no standing.
When I felled my Leylandii's they threatened a thousand pound fine but they were acting outside their remit so in fact could not have levied the fine. They are to a very great degree dishonest because they tell you something and unless you check up on it they are not wanting you to do something so they tell you and you think that it is the law when in fact it is not.
JB.
I have now retired and the planning officer no longer bugs me over tunnels or greenhouses but you had to have planning permission for tunnels in this area. Polly tunnels are temporary structures and planning can be given without going through full planning. What cost me a lot of money is the drawings that had to be produced professionally because the LA would not except my own drawings.
Planning officers are a shower of absolute bastards and will muck you about for the smallest of reasons.
My tunnels were only allowed to go up two at a time
with a years interval in between. This means I had to keep on paying out every year and I found out that it was their ruling and NOT LAWFUL so I just put the rest up and they complained but could do nothing about it. There was no mention of that in the building regulations and I pointed this out to them and they went away. The law may well have changed now so you must be careful with what you do.
The Shed would need planning permission but there is no reason why they should refuse you. If they do refuse you they must say on what grounds they have refused you. Then you make enquiries with another local authority which adjoins yours and find out what their ruling is. Here I play the Southern office against the northern office and the results are amazing. The Northern office refused a habitation order because the new house did not have thermostatic radiator valves and the Southern office said whereas thermostatic radiator valves are a recommendation they are not building law. That is how picky they are where I live.
I live 11/2 miles outside a conservation area but they try to make out that anything we do will affect the conservation area so they tell you this and that but in law they have no standing.
When I felled my Leylandii's they threatened a thousand pound fine but they were acting outside their remit so in fact could not have levied the fine. They are to a very great degree dishonest because they tell you something and unless you check up on it they are not wanting you to do something so they tell you and you think that it is the law when in fact it is not.
JB.
The funniest experience we had was with a M/s Young who accused us of installing a septic tank without planning permission, which would have been very odd as we are non-residential and would not have any use for one. Eventually we tracked it down, M/s Young could not tell the difference between a septic tank and a spherical gas storage tank with the word CALOR in red on the side.
Allan
Allan
Allan,
I had a load of manure dumped up on my forecourt and in my absence the taxman (woman) called and I got a letter saying that I had not informed them that I was keeping livestock. I do not keep live stock and she said it was no use me denying it she had seen my livestock. She had seen 6 ducks and a 15 ton pile of cows s--t and I asked her if she was serious and she said she was. She paid me a visit and she then asked me what I did with 6 duck eggs a day I said I eat the eggs and she said you cannot possibly eat six eggs a day and at that time I had a wife and 3 children at home. I said I don't get 6 eggs at most I ever get 4 and she again said why I said that there were 4 ducks and two drakes and she said so! I had to explain to her that boys do not lays eggs. She came back twice for spot checks and in the end I was a little ungentlemanly and told her to P--s off and stop wasting my time.
I mean she wasn't a youngster and her thought that 6 ducks had managed to pass 15 tons of manure beggars belief.
JB.
I had a load of manure dumped up on my forecourt and in my absence the taxman (woman) called and I got a letter saying that I had not informed them that I was keeping livestock. I do not keep live stock and she said it was no use me denying it she had seen my livestock. She had seen 6 ducks and a 15 ton pile of cows s--t and I asked her if she was serious and she said she was. She paid me a visit and she then asked me what I did with 6 duck eggs a day I said I eat the eggs and she said you cannot possibly eat six eggs a day and at that time I had a wife and 3 children at home. I said I don't get 6 eggs at most I ever get 4 and she again said why I said that there were 4 ducks and two drakes and she said so! I had to explain to her that boys do not lays eggs. She came back twice for spot checks and in the end I was a little ungentlemanly and told her to P--s off and stop wasting my time.
I mean she wasn't a youngster and her thought that 6 ducks had managed to pass 15 tons of manure beggars belief.
JB.
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peter
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Johnboy, I think she was basing it on personal experience.
She might have been only one woman, but in one visit she gave you a ton of bullshit.
She might have been only one woman, but in one visit she gave you a ton of bullshit.
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
I support http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
Fasinating subject! I recall we built a large greenhouse for our nursery and used the gable end of the farmhouse as one wall. Council said we must pay rates on the building as it was attached to the house. We took out the wall anchors so it was 'independent' and that did the trick!!