A 70-year-old grandmother has spent more than £125,000 on legal fees in a desperate fight to stop her self-built eco-cabin from being demolished by the council.
A Dream Home Turns Into a Legal Nightmare
Brigid Eakins, a former Cambridge University examiner and languages teacher, used her life savings to construct a luxury wooden lodge in 2014. She built the £59,000 off-grid cabin on her 2.4-acre field in the hamlet of St Michaels, near Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, replacing an existing mobile home.
Brigid believed she did not need new planning permission due to the prior presence of the mobile home. However, six years after construction, Herefordshire County Council performed a dramatic U-turn following four complaints from neighbours. Officials claimed the cabin breached planning rules, stating it was larger than the structure it replaced, and issued an enforcement notice ordering its demolition by January 2022.
A Glimmer of Hope in a Costly Battle
After years of legal wrangling, Brigid has secured a minor victory. The council has granted her a Certificate of Lawful Use or Development (CLEUD) to detach the cabin's roof from its walls. This modification could be crucial, as it may allow the wooden structure to be legally reclassified as a "caravan," which is subject to different planning regulations.
Brigid has now submitted a fresh application to the council seeking this reclassification. Despite this progress, the original enforcement notice remains in place, preventing her from selling the land or cabin and leaving her family potentially inheriting the dispute. "I have to keep fighting," she stated.
The Staggering Human and Financial Cost
The conflict has taken a severe financial and emotional toll. Brigid estimates her total costs, including the cabin's construction and legal fees, exceed £200,000—more than triple the cabin's original price. She also believes the council has spent at least £75,000 of taxpayers' money on the case.
Living off-grid in the 90ft x 50ft open-plan cabin, which is powered by a generator and features a septic tank, Brigid simply wanted an environmentally friendly home. "I'm an old hippy, I just want to sit in my cabin and watch the finches and weasels and count the trees," she said.
A spokesperson for Herefordshire County Council said: "The structure built in this location far exceeds the scope of the original plans, and has prompted several complaints from the community." Regarding the new application, they added they were unable to comment while it was under consideration.
