Blimey, you'd think we were trying to roast children for breakfast, not grow organic food for local communities and reduce our carbon footprint. )
Quick query: we are living on mixed rough grazing, woodland, orchard and forest garden land (13 acres) that belongs to my step father who lives here also with my mother. They grow food they have been seling on a stall for some years, and want to work with us increase what they're growing and selling, including to a local farm shop who is very interested in selling our fruit and veg. They have both had heart problems (including getting airlifted by helicopter in the last for years) and mum has a range of health problems, and we are here to support them and help them remain in their home; to develop the business; and to reduce our own carbon impact as a family (I have two children).
My step dad has been here in the house he built for over 25 years and the council now see him as immune. We built an off grid timber dwelling here two years ago, and planning became aware in the last 12 months. They're coming back on site again next week (ie enforcement). They don;t seem bent on extracting blood, but more want to "cover their position" as we're halfway through the "immunity" period. (their words). We know they don;t like the timber dwelling (it was a replacement for a falling down barn); if we'd seen your book we'd have done it differently, but all advice we foind then said low impact dwelling for permacultural actvity is best built first and permission asked afterwards.
We are planning to use your model here and inform them with a 28 day notice that we will be either altering this to return it to agrcultural use, build a polytunnel for growing more food to sell and possibly an outdoor classroom for small scale forestry and horticulture training on the land.
Q: would we be advised to "buy" ie for a peppercorn say 1.5 hectares and rent another 4 hectares from my stepdad, to do this? ie does his ownership of the land damage our tack of using the 28 day notice to say we plan to build a barn to further the activity of the planned enterprise? he's very open to whatever needs to happen - we're a family trying to stay together. And should we get an agricultural holding number? We were advised it makes no difference either way, but I'm thinking it might help.
Amy thoughts welcome!
Cheers!