In case you missed it… Stars vs Planning Permission

Planning permission is often mistakenly regarded as only being required for buildings, but as an ex-Bond girl and current English football player found out recently, permission may be required for things as diverse as felling trees or building play areas in your garden.

Fiona Fullerton, star of 1985 bond film, A View to a Kill, recently angered neighbours by chopping down two trees outside her house, which some local residents described as an act of ‘vandalism’.

Although Fiona has done nothing wrong and even obtained a licence enabling her to fell the ‘iconic’ cypress trees, many neighbours remain upset. Sarah Knightly Brown says:

“The greenery of this area is what makes it so special … felling the trees will change the whole atmosphere. We don’t want these trees to go. They are iconic”

Peter Swales, another disgruntled neighbour, also explains his anger:

“Felling these trees basically amounts to vandalism. It is just property developers making some cash without a care for the community”

However, Fiona insists she has not bought this property to make money and is adamant that it is to be her home. She explains that she sought advice from three different tree surgeons who advised that one of trees was unsafe. Fiona also explains that:

“The council also said they were inappropriate for the area”.

Meanwhile, England footballer Adam Lallana, who is currently set to represent the country in the World Cup in Brazil, has come under criticism for constructing a large football pitch in his back garden without proper planning permission.

The multi-use facility that doubles up as a basket ball court has caused neighbours to complain and consequently, planning officers have discovered that the height of the structure required it to obtain planning consent, which Lallana did not do.

To prevent the structure from being demolished, Adam will have to either adjust the height of the playground or submit a retrospective planning application.