UK Family Faces Jail Or Eviction From Farm For Living ‘Off The Grid’

Posted by JacobSloan on August 26, 2011

The Mason family purchased an abandoned orchard and moved out of public housing. Their self-sustaining lifestyle has baffled local authorities however, who have ordered them to give up their property or face jail time. This Is Devon writes:

A family living an “off-grid” lifestyle say they face prison unless they move from their own land in Willand and return to a [regular] existence. Stig and Dinah Mason bought Muxbeare Orchard after a sudden windfall allowed them to quit their impoverished lives on a Hertfordshire council estate two years ago.

The Masons have transformed what they described as a derelict four-acre plot into a haven of self-sufficiency boasting a 400 sq m allotment, a polytunnel and greenhouses to grow fruit and vegetables, chickens for egg production and an orchard they have regenerated by planting around 14 new apple trees of various species. Dinah was bequeathed money from the sudden death of her aunt and £47,000 was spent on the land to create the smallholding where wood burners and solar panels provide their energy needs.

The couple, who have two boys, aged eight and nine, say because they moved onto the site in order to work the land, Mid Devon District Council is turfing them off as officers do not consider them to be conserving an agricultural area.

Dinah’s income currently provides the family with everything they need which they cannot grow themselves but is unlikely to stretch to cover kennelling costs for their dog, Moo.

They say they currently receive no state hand-outs but by giving up their “off grid” way of life, they fear they will end up in a council house, claiming housing and council tax benefits, as well as seeking grants to help pay for high utility bills.

Anne Wallington, whose family has had an interest in the village for 44 years, wrote to the council in support of the Masons by praising their hard work in reclaiming what was “rapidly becoming derelict land.” David Thompson, who also lives in the village, said “they are trying to live up to the Government’s pledge to take better care of the environment and this is the last orchard in the vicinity of Willand.”

John Clarke, planning enforcement officer, said: “To get planning permission to move onto agricultural land, you have to prove first there is a need for someone to live there, for example, to tend livestock and look after crops, and second, that the enterprise can provide living income for at least one worker.

Posted in: Britain, Carbon Footprint, DIY, Farming, off the grid

Andrew

Wow, that’s pretty darn fascist!
ChristianHypocrite

Welcome to our glorious future, where you need their chits for permission to survive. Where do you get the chits? From them, of course! Now stop thinking so hard and submit to the system.
DeepCough

Self-sufficiency has always been a dream rarely achieved by even the few with the means to attain it.
Andrew

Future? Replace chits with dollars and you’re talking about the present.
Butter Knife

And the past. No need to pretend this is something new when it most assuredly is not.
http://www.ContraControl.com/ Zenc

Sadly, I’m increasingly likely to judge that threats of organized violence really only deserve one response…
Wanooski

I have been saying this shit for years. I often wonder if the destruction of the environment is a purposeful part of it.
Adaugeo

Inspires me to start my garden and solar/wind farming to do the same.
Wanooski

What? Get kicked off of your land?
chinagreenelvis

I’m guessing every one of you who’s commented on this read the Disinfo headline and neglected to read the actual article. These people aren’t being oppressed because they became self-sustaining; they’re getting tangled up in legal matters because laws are cumbersome and rarely interpreted in ways that make sense. They’re living on tracts of land that were designated by legislature for non-living use. In their case, I hope they win the fight and the laws get adjusted to accommodate their accomplishments, but it’s basically the same thing as moving into your office at work; most if not all local governments would consider this an infraction of zoning laws.
Wanooski

Let me tall you something, this is a whole new world of domination, control and dependence on authority and institutions, that history’s madmen and autocrats could only dream of. Far more subtle, but far more effective. The overall motive may be the same, but the means are vastly more powerful.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Andy-Oliver/100001142880435 Andy Oliver

This doesn’t seem to me to be, as many of you seem to assume, the family are being punished for not toeing a capitalist line by a draconian council, rather this is the kind of “jobs-worthy”, short sighted and, frankly, ridiculous attitude that many councils in England tend to take. The situation mirrors that of Dale Farm in Essex (where mass evictions of travellers are about to happen, because they had the “temerity” to build permanent structures on their own land without planning permission, Google Dale Farm) is a perfect example of bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy.
Daggers

This is political madness at it’s extreme, the goverment say’s one thing and the councils do another, when will these people get there acts together and work of the same page. If this family wants to live of the subsistance of the land then what is wrong with that, or is just the fact that the council are miffed that they are not getting the taxation cut from the family that everybody else as to pay for services.
Daggers

This is political madness at it’s extreme, the goverment say’s one thing and the councils do another, when will these people get there acts together and work of the same page. If this family wants to live of the subsistance of the land then what is wrong with that, or is just the fact that the council are miffed that they are not getting the taxation cut from the family that everybody else as to pay for services.
Daggers

This is political madness at it’s extreme, the goverment say’s one thing and the councils do another, when will these people get there acts together and work of the same page. If this family wants to live of the subsistance of the land then what is wrong with that, or is just the fact that the council are miffed that they are not getting the taxation cut from the family that everybody else as to pay for services.
Daggers

This is political madness at it’s extreme, the goverment say’s one thing and the councils do another, when will these people get there acts together and work of the same page. If this family wants to live of the subsistance of the land then what is wrong with that, or is just the fact that the council are miffed that they are not getting the taxation cut from the family that everybody else as to pay for services.
Daggers

This is political madness at it’s extreme, the goverment say’s one thing and the councils do another, when will these people get there acts together and work of the same page. If this family wants to live of the subsistance of the land then what is wrong with that, or is just the fact that the council are miffed that they are not getting the taxation cut from the family that everybody else as to pay for services.
Daggers

This is political madness at it’s extreme, the goverment say’s one thing and the councils do another, when will these people get there acts together and work of the same page. If this family wants to live of the subsistance of the land then what is wrong with that, or is just the fact that the council are miffed that they are not getting the taxation cut from the family that everybody else as to pay for services.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000594710381 Jack Jones

Simply put, they don’t like it when you can do things for your self. They want you to “pay” somebody to do it for you so that “money” is made and so it “fuels” the consumer based economy of the world.
http://www.ContraControl.com/ Zenc

Please allow me to disabuse you of the notion that no one read and generally comprehended the article.

You’re right when you describe this as a “zoning issue”, but the outrage is with the temerity of the local council to assume total autocratic control of property that someone else lawfully owns and is employing as intended.

Americans are probably more startled by this kind of behavior because generally our zoning laws are reasonable.

Occasionally they’re not though and one of us will armor up a D-6 and tear down a goodly portion of the community of the offending govt.

And that’s if we’re feeling charitable. There’s all kinds of dangerous things laying around farms…
chinagreenelvis

Agreed.
Anonymous

How can this be? Totally upsetting.
Silikesbikes.

Can no one be free of the benefit lifestyle ? do we have to make hard work an act of law braking, do we in times of austerity have the money to waste on law suits against decent people. Who’s interests are our councils serving, our own of the corporations who provide our food, power etc etc. It’s a sick society that can try and a crime out of good, clean living.
Okarin

soon the only people that’ll be free from this are the ones hiding from it now, the criminals
Anonymous

You’re not allowed to live on your own farm??? They’re allowed to have a farm, but they have to commute to use it? I don’t even
Anonymous

You’re not allowed to live on your own farm??? They’re allowed to have a farm, but they have to commute to use it? I don’t even
Anonymous

But that’s England for you. They have a Queen and nobles. They do not have a tradition of freedom and self-determination. They are a nation of serfs.
Anonymous

“To get planning permission to move onto agricultural land, you have to
prove first there is a need for someone to live there, for example, to
tend livestock and look after crops, and second, that the enterprise can
provide living income for at least one worker.” In other words, be self-suffic– D’oh!
Anonymous

Off the grid! self sufficient! Way to go!
Called2 Care

This family should be on the Alex Jones show~
Guest

This is clearly out of context Its a zoning dispute, a rather unfair one but it was they law before they moved there. To say its an anti-environmentalist/survivalist/watever-ist is yellow journalism. So yea… eat me..
RoadCrew

My first thoughts, too. All media reports of this sort tend to be ’slanted’ one way or the other depending on whether you’re for or against “authority”. But these people seem to be genuinely trying to live “The Good Life” (as per the TV series) and good luck to them!
Ihateyouall

Fuck this world!
Lloydy77

What a bloody joke! They only want them to “pay” to live in society because they’re pissed off they can’t do it too. How very selfish and un-humanitarian.
Anonymous

The question must also be asked to the COUNCIL* – would Prince Charles be treated in the same manner over the same issue (though the land maybe 100’s of hectares) as was this lovely couple?

I think we all know the answer!!!

One commentator mentioned archaic laws which are out-dated and happen to be badly in need of revision, however, let us not be IGNORANT* of the HISTORY* of these island and the entrenched “classism” which still exist where there is one set of rules for one group and another set of rules for the rest of us…

Living off the GRID* will be a matter of DEBATE* in the coming years as more and more of us decide to leave the decaying, decadent cities to move to more solitary enclaves where based on GREEN TECHNOLOGY* we can still live a comfortable life with our families while protecting our environment and subsisting off the land as did our forefathers…

As was reiterated earlier, ISSUES* of domination and political control cannot be overlooked in these matters as the world bobs & weaves towards the stated GOALS* of a 1-WORLD-GOVERNMENT…
Beeehaven

http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/environmentplanning/sustainable_development/historicalbackground.htm surely allowing this family to continue with their lifestyle would enable devon councils to meet local agenda 21 targets?
GOVERNMENT HATER

TYPICAL OF THE CORRUPT , GREEDY , GRABBING COUNCIL .THESE PEOPLE ARE LIVING WITHOUT HAVING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CORRUPT SOCIETY THROUH THE EXTORTION OF TAXATION . GOOD FOR THEM . HOPE MANY MORE WILL DO THIS , ME INCLUDED , AND ESCAPE THIS CORRUPT SOCIETY .ONWARD TO FREEDOM …
GOVERNMENT HATER

TYPICAL OF THE CORRUPT , GREEDY , GRABBING COUNCIL .THESE PEOPLE ARE LIVING WITHOUT HAVING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CORRUPT SOCIETY THROUH THE EXTORTION OF TAXATION . GOOD FOR THEM . HOPE MANY MORE WILL DO THIS , ME INCLUDED , AND ESCAPE THIS CORRUPT SOCIETY .ONWARD TO FREEDOM …
Fuck the Corrupt System .

The Corrupt Elite who run the Corrupt System we are forced to contribute to via taxation will be very fearful of this . Hence the typical reaction of a corrupt local council .The Corrupt Bastards who rule by the implementation of corrupt rules called Law , deserve termination of their corrupt lives . The world is nothing but a massive Ponzi Scheme .Madoff will be proud .
Fuck the Corrupt System .

The Corrupt Elite who run the Corrupt System we are forced to contribute to via taxation will be very fearful of this . Hence the typical reaction of a corrupt local council .The Corrupt Bastards who rule by the implementation of corrupt rules called Law , deserve termination of their corrupt lives . The world is nothing but a massive Ponzi Scheme .Madoff will be proud .
Rjandersson

I live in the united Sates and am not fully famillar with all of the UK’s laws. But, I do have this to say. if the kids are happy, fed and housed, which they seem to be, where does ANY government get off telling people how they have to live?
Rjandersson

I’d rather fire up the B52 just to make sure the job got done!
Anonymous

Keep in mind millionaire hobby famers who were buying up productive farmland subdividing and turning it into non-productive tax deduction and tax avoidance schemes. This forced rural councils to establish laws in order to protect productive land otherwise rural towns faced economic stresses from loss of agriculture support industries, let alone the cost of increasing food imports.
Of course writing laws to fit the fine line between allowing proper use of the land and the rich and greedy playing destructive tax games, is difficult.
Suck it up though, some countries have strict planning laws and the community needs come first. The second of course you stop enforcing the letter of the law, the rich and greedy will start twisting everything right out of control.
Mud Lark

I agree with you in regards to it being a inflexible, jobsworth decision. There’s a dire need for some flexibility in the decision making process to take into account responsible and valuable (preserving native orchards) land utilisation and low energy consumption. That said, I don’t quite equate a mass eviction of travellers, or any group or people buying up plots of land and building on it, as being in the same deserving category. The housing stock in the UK would be easily sufficient if post-war governments showed the same degree of responsibility and love for the country and land as this family have.
http://profiles.google.com/gavinstokes Gavin Stokes

There is an argument in favor of not allowing them to stay, if they can do it why cant everyone else, see what happens then, sure as an individual case it seems unfair, but what if everyone decided to take there savings and purchase agricultural land and then move in….could get messy.
http://profiles.google.com/gavinstokes Gavin Stokes

I’m amazed at how people see this as black and white issue, the level of ignorance surrounding the problems with this issue is astounding. One person even goe sas far as to say

“If the kids are happy, fed and housed, which they seem to be, where does ANY government get off telling people how they have to live”

Governments have to tell people how to live otherwise there would be utter chaos with people building wherever they choose and doing whatever they want. A lot of people on here seem to assume that every in the world is a responsible, community minded individual who takes everyone elses concerns into account before acting.

We live in a world with to many people there has to be controls
Anonymous

John Clarke, planning enforcement officer, said: “To get planning permission to move onto agricultural land, you have to prove first there is a need for someone to live there, for example, to tend livestock and look after crops, and second, that the enterprise can provide living income for at least one worker.I thought that they had amply proved this by regenerating and looking after the orchard and the fact that they are making enough to provide for the family.
Gdsgsdgag

The real reason that the council don’t want them to live that way is that it will give other people the same idea.

UK Family Faces Jail Or Eviction From Farm For Living ‘Off The Grid’

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