Chilterns 'water mill', Grand Designs

For more, see my post below :

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/02/grand-designs-and-that-watermill.html

and the discussion with the neighbour who objected on the comments section of Confessions of a Conservation Officer blog on the subject.

http://conservationofficer.blogspot.com/2009/02/grand-designs-absent-friends.html

also comments under this post.

Here's the neighbour's view and photos on a new blog:

http://neighboursinthewoods.blogspot.com/

from which I took the photo above, and acknowledge the source.

The diffculty is, of course, that planning is not a simple matter and it may be that, despite the consequences for the neighbours, all i's have now been dotted and t's crossed.

I look forward to hearing what the Ombudsman has to say.

Channel Four has its own comments section:

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/episode-guides/chilterns-water-mill-the-story-09-02-04_p_1.html

I add - the shops owned by the mill builder rang bells - and now I have read the Grand Designs comments I do recall that he has had planning run-ins in the past, with shop frontage in Muswell Hill? The Muswell Hill Gaudi. A google brings up national news reports.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2004/oct/04/urbandesign.arts

'While constructing his homage to Catalonia's most famous architect, Mr Ostwald claims a council building inspector told him the building was fine and he could continue. The council deny this.

He admits not getting planning permission but vows he will not observe an order to remove the shop-front: "It's different to the pseudo Edwardian-ness of almost every shop in this area. It stands out for its originality. The council want everything standard and uniform." '

The shop is in a Conservation Area.

'Haringey council is adamant that Mr Ostwald must either seek retrospective planning permission, or tear down the Gaudi shop-front: "The council has served an enforcement notice on the owner which requires him to reinstate the shop-front and to abide by the planning permission granted in 1999. The notice will come into effect on November 15." '

An update on that:

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/1321416.gaudi_shop_fined_500/news/local/bexley/

Extract: The owner of a controversial Muswell Hill Broadway shopfront has been fined £500 for failing to obey a court order.
Chris Ostwald, who owns Art for Art's Sake, did not have planning permission from Haringey Council to build a distinctive Gaudi-inspired shopfront, which was unveiled in July 2004.
A retrospective planning application was refused in 2005, and Mr Ostwald, 44, pulled down the shop-front last month.
But because the illegal shopfront was in existence for almost two years, he appeared at Tottenham Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he was found guilty of failing to obey a court order to remove it...

So - not the first time.

More discussion:

http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,6149.30/topicseen.html

http://forum.planet-rugby.com/index.php?t=msg&goto=3733055&#msg_3733055

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=703967&highlight=grand+designs&page=16

http://www.forumtowers.com/forum/index.php?topic=546.775

( I gather the latter is for refugees from another forum - welcome, that's how this began!)

And all, it seems, is not quite as it appeared on Grand Designs:
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/964173

Update: see also my post http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/02/pause-for-breath.html

Water Mill story http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/02/chilterns-water-mill-grand-designs_07.html
and http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/02/grand-designs-and-that-watermill.html
"You might like to check out the channel4 comments page for this episode again. They have deleted the post that referred to his gaudi shopfront, as well as one other that referred to him as a "self-righteous city prig" - which I also personally found a bit unnecessarily vituperative - whatever our feelings might be about the guy. However they have left posts that describe us as "nosey","jealous", "petty", "small-minded", "interfering busy-body" and "spoilers". " Neighboursinthe woods.


Oooh - censorhsip Channel4?

I have, as I said below in the blog comments, tried to leave comments on the Grand Designs site which have not so far been published. One I have reposted in the comments below by someone else has been today (Feb 11th). I wonder if that will also be removed soon?

UPDATED Thursday 12th

http://neighboursinthewoods.blogspot.com/2009/02/response-at-last.html

It seems Channel Four has finally contacted the neighbours. Look forward to hearing more.

I still wait publication of some of my comments.

UPDATED Friday 13th (see comments below) live link:

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=207179

UPDATED Monday 16th (see comments section) on the Neighbours in the Woods blog:

http://neighboursinthewoods.blogspot.com/2009/02/complaint-update.html

Another forum discussion:

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=2&TopicID=173268&PagePosition=1&ThreadPage=2&get=last#2656012

UPDATED Wednesday 18th Feb:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13519789&posted=1#post13519789


UPDATED 23rd Feb:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbpointsofview/F1951566?thread=6339155&skip=40&show=20


UPDATED 27th Feb: See Comments from Neighboursin the woods below)

http://thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=421406&page=15
Been promised full response from CH4/GD in next few days

UPDATED March 2nd:

another two for the collection:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/another-viewpoint-of-that-grand-designs-water-mill-up-the-side-of-a-hill?replies=37#post-167078

http://briskoda.net/showthread.php?p=1625660&posted=1#post1625660

UPDATED March 3rd: (see comments section re visiting);

http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/03/mixed-bag.html



Nem