29-07-2025
Couple win long-running battle to keep £20k summer house in their garden... by moving it by one metre
A couple have won a year-long battle with their local council to keep their £20,000 summer house - after shifting it one metre.
Martin Keyes and Catherine Curran locked horns with local planners over their garden retreat after receiving a letter telling them it had to come down.
The pair, from Greenock on the west coast of Scotland, applied for retrospective planning permission but were told by Inverclyde Council to remove the hut.
Having been told it was 'too big' and too close to a neighbouring house, despite receiving no complaints, the couple appealed - but lost after councillors conducted a site visit.
They've since found a way around the demolition order, paying more money above and beyond the £20k they've spent on the house to shimmy it a metre over.
Mr Keyes and Ms Curran now say they plan to enjoy their summer house, with a guarantee of no further disturbances from prying planners.
They've even renamed it 'Victory Bar' in recognition of their win over the meddling local authority.
Mr Keyes, of nearby Glasgow, said: 'To be honest I think it is less private than before but we did what they wanted.
'Now we are looking forward to enjoying our summer house. We are just waiting for the official paperwork.
'But we were never going to be forced to tear it down. That was not an option.
'We decided to call it Victory Bar, because it is still standing. I can't wait to enjoy more nights in our summer house now it is finally safe.'
Last year, the couple were told that retrospective planning permission had been refused nearly four years after it was built.
Officials said it was 'not acceptable' in terms of its scale and size, and had a 'detrimental impact' on neighbouring properties despite no objections being filed.
At the time the couple said that they would refuse to tear it down and lodged an appeal.
Following a site visit by members of the local review body, the decision was taken to refuse an appeal.
Mr Keyes could not attend the hearing as he was working a night shift.
Ms Curran added: 'We tried to explain to the officers that the summer house was in the best position.'
The couple even submitted a petition to the council from neighbours and friends in support.
Determined not to be beaten, Ms Curran and Mr Keyes took action to secure the future of their summer house.
With guidance from council planners they moved the summer house and restructured their garden.
A relieved Ms Curran, 50, said: 'It has been very stressful and we are glad it is over. We won and we have our summer house.
'We would like to thank our neighbours and friends for their support.'
She added: 'We can move on now and enjoy our summer house stays.'
A spokesperson for Inverclyde Council said: 'In the event of a retrospective planning application and any subsequent appeal both being refused due to breaches of the planning guidelines, we will endeavour to work with the applicant to explore options available to them and whether there are ways to meet relevant planning guidelines.'
