Newport couple's home still classed as a guest house
The confusion came to light when a potential buyer's solicitor asked for evidence proving the house had returned to residential use.
The Shaws have now applied for a Lawful Development Certificate for an existing use, stating the house has been used as a home for more than 10 years.
The couple bought their house in May 2002.
They were not aware that a 1996 planning permission had been issued for the "use of dwelling as a guest house".
The application has been made alongside evidence such as a land registry extract, utility bills, mortgage statements, and council tax bills.
The majority of these documents all date back to before November 2021.
The Shaws have also provided statutory declarations confirming the house has been their family home for years.
One key piece of evidence is the absence of any tenancy agreements, supporting their claim that the property has not been rented out as a guest house.
The couple faced initial difficulties in identifying the correct application route.
However, with the help of Newport City Council's senior planning officer Jacob Cooke and solicitor Emma Selfridge, they were able to submit the correct documents.
The application, which was submitted on June 20, remains under consideration until July 16, with no objections recorded so far.
The couple had to pay a fee of £460 for the application.
As of now, no decision letter has been issued.
The Shaws are awaiting the decision from Newport City Council.
The outcome of this case could set a precedent for similar situations in the future, where a property's previous classification creates complications for its current owners.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
11 hours ago
- Wales Online
Newport man who accidentally threw away £700m hard drive shares update
Newport man who accidentally threw away £700m hard drive shares update James Howells threw away an encrypted hard drive in August 2013 that contains the cryptographic "private key" that can be used to access and move the 8,000 Bitcoin he had mined The stress of his fruitless search ended James's relationship with his girlfriend (Image: Lee Howells / SWNS) The ongoing drama of a man's purported £685million Bitcoin fortune has taken yet another turn. James Howells inadvertently thew away an encrypted hard drive containing the cryptographic private key to 8,000 Bitcoins back in August 2013. At that time, the value of the contents was around £500,000. With the current valuation of a single Bitcoin at £85,680.17, the lost drive is now estimated to be worth nearly £700m. On the fateful day that has since overshadowed his life, James had asked his then-girlfriend Hafina Eddy-Evans to take several bags of rubbish to Docksway landfill, close to their residence in Newport, South Wales. Ever since, he has been on a relentless quest to retrieve the hard disk, and despite circulating reports suggesting he's abandoned his search, the reality is more complicated. "No, I have not given up," he clarified to The Block, a cryptocurrency news outlet. "The story going around is partially true, but not in the way it's being framed." James has even raised the prospect of buying the landfill site (Image: Matthew Horwood, Getty Images) Should the value of Bitcoin continue its anticipated ascent, James stands to become a billionaire by 2030 – assuming he can unearth the elusive hard disk. To date, the local council has denied him permission to even begin digging at the site. Newport City Council officials have released a statement estimating that the lost hard drive lies beneath roughly 25,000 cubic metres of waste and soil, which would tip the scales between 110,000 and 200,000 tonnes. The council has recently unveiled intentions to shut down the site and seal it, a move that would likely dash any remaining hopes James harbours of retrieving his hard drive. The local authority has also obtained planning consent to develop a solar farm on a section of the property. James Howells has described his lost legal bid to recover the fortune as 'gut-wrenching' (Image: Lee Howells / SWNS) James has been actively trying to secure funds to purchase the landfill from Newport City Council, spurred by the increasing value of his Bitcoin wallet. Identifying himself as "probably one of the first five people to mine Bitcoin," James has extended a multi-million-pound proposal to the council. He's considering a crowdfunding approach to finance the acquisition through the launch of a new "Ordinals-based token." However, he is yet to receive a response from the council officials. James outlined the current situation: "Here's where we stand," he said. "If they won't sell, there's no need for a token sale to buy the landfill. I am no longer pursuing the purchase of the landfill, I am no longer pursuing excavation or remediation, I am no longer pursuing dialogue with the council or its representatives." Hafina took the bag of trash to the site for James (Image: MEDIA WALES) James has pledged to donate 10% of any recovered assets to local charitable causes and educational initiatives if the council agrees to collaborate, an amount that could reach approximately $140 million (£105m) by the end of 2025. He explained the unfortunate series of events leading to his expensive blunder. "I had a clearout of my old IT equipment," he recalled. "I hadn't used this drive for over three years, I believed I'd taken everything off it... so it got thrown in the bin." His ex-partner Hafina has verified that she indeed disposed of the bag containing old electronics at the landfill. "Yes, I threw away his rubbish, he asked me to," she confirmed. "The computer component was discarded in a black sack along with other unwanted items and he pleaded with me to remove it. I had no clue what was inside but I reluctantly dropped it off at the local tip on my way back from the school run." Hafina later stated that James had "begged" her to dispose of the unwanted items at the tip, and it's not her fault that he misplaced the Bitcoin wallet. Meanwhile, James confessed that he "subconsciously" blames her for the loss of his substantial wealth. Article continues below The Daily Mirror has reached out to Newport City Council for their response.
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Man who accidentally binned hard drive containing £700m delivers update 13 years later
Halfina Eddy-Evans was asked to take one of her boyfriend's old, unwanted hard drives to a council tip having no idea it contained 8,000 bitcoins – but it is now worth millions The long-running saga of a man and his estimated £685million Bitcoin fortune has taken another twist. James Howells mistakenly binned an encrypted hard drive contained the cryptographic private key for 8,000 Bitcoin in August 2013. At the time the drive's contents were valued at £500,000 The current price of one Bitcoin stands at £85,680.17, making the drive worth today close to £700m. On the day he made the mistake that has come to dominate his life, James asked Hafina Eddy-Evans, his girlfriend at the time, to take a few bags of rubbish to Docksway landfill, near their home in Newport, South Wales. He has been trying to find the hard disk ever since, and despite reports that he had recently abandoned his search, the truth is much more complicated. "No, I have not given up," he told cryptocurrency news site The Block. "The story going around is partially true, but not in the way it's being framed.' If the value of Bitcoin continues to increase at its predicted rate. James could be a billionaire by 2030 – as long as he finds that hard disk. As yet, the local council hasn't allowed him take so much as a spade to the site. In a statement, Newport City Council officials have estimated that the missing hard drive is "buried under 25,000 cubic meters of waste and earth,' which would weigh approximately 110,000–200,000 tonnes. The council has recently announced plans to close the site and cap it off, which would almost certainly mean the end of any hopes James might have of reaching the drive. The authority has secured planning permission for a solar farm on part of the land. James explained that, with the value of his Bitcoin wallet still rising, he had attempted to raise money to buy the landfill site from Newport City Council. James, who says he was 'probably one of the first five people to mine Bitcoin,' has made a multi-million-pound offer to the council. He says he's planning to crowdfund the purchase by launching a secondary 'Ordinals-based token.' As yet, James hasn't heard back from council officials. 'Here's where we stand,' he explained. 'If they won't sell, there's no need for a token sale to buy the landfill. I am no longer pursuing the purchase of the landfill, I am no longer pursuing excavation or remediation, I am no longer pursuing dialogue with the council or its representatives." He has promised that, if the council were willing to work with him, he would donate 10% of the recovered haul to be spent on local good causes and educational projects. That could be worth about $140million (£105m) by the end of 2025. James explained how he came to make his costly mistake. 'I had a clearout of my old IT equipment,' he said. 'I hadn't used this drive for over three years, I believed I'd taken everything off it... so it got thrown in the bin." His former partner Hafina has confirmed that she actually took the bag of old electronics to landfill. "Yes, I threw away his rubbish, he asked me to,' she said. 'The computer part had been disposed of in a black sack along with other unwanted belongings and he begged me to take it away. I had no idea what was in it but I reluctantly dropped it off at the local tip on the way home from going on the school run.' She has since said that James had "begged" her to take the unwanted items to the tip, and it's not her fault that he lost the Bitcoin wallet, while James has admitted that he "subconsciously" blames her for the loss of his vast fortune.
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Certificate applied for to convert garage to be a home
The planning application for the conversion of the domestic vehicle garage at Hawthorn House, Whitebrook Lane, Llanvaches, Newport, was submitted by Mr Ron Saltmarsh under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The proposal also includes the erection of a small extension to form a bathroom. The property, which falls under the C3 use class as a dwelling house, will maintain this status following the conversion, according to the applicant Mr Saltmarsh. The applicant has claimed that the development qualifies as "Permitted Development". The application was submitted with the assistance of agent Mr Chris Jackson from CJ Projects. The site, visible from public land, did not require pre-application advice, and the applicant, Mr Saltmarsh, declared ownership of the land in the application, which was signed by his agent, Mr Jackson, on June 10. The decision date for the application was not stated in the document. The grid reference for the property is Easting 341993, Northing 192786. The application did not indicate any objections or issues from the local community or planning authorities. The application could be granted a Lawful Development Certificate, signifying compliance with current planning policies and regulations.
