Boater wins council battle

EAST Riding of Yorkshire Council has lost its battle to move a narrowboat that it maintained was in breach of planning guidelines.

Regular readers may have followed the story where the council deemed the boat belonging to Dennis Norris to be a 'new dwelling', and wanted him off the waterway.

Can stay

After a three days public inquiry Dennis Norris, who owns the boat, has been told he can stay remarking:

"It's unbelievable. I'm still trying to take it in. The council's argument just seemed a bit lame, and a waste of taxpayer's money to me. I'm relieved it's now all over with."

Two boaters

The council issued enforcement notices to two boaters claiming they had to  'permanently cease the use of the land for the stationing of boats used for human habitation purposes and remove them from the land'.

The Planning Inspectorate, disagreed with the council's argument that the use of boats on the canal as permanent homes required planning consent because it amounted to a change of use of the land.

He allowed the appeal, and ordered the enforcement notice be quashed.