Business · India Bureau
Turkish firm ordered to demolish unlawful holiday homes in ancient English woodland
A planning inspector has ruled against a Turkish company's appeal to retain holiday homes constructed without permission on a 33-acre estate in northern England. The firm has been ordered to tear down the structures and replant 100 trees to compensate for those removed during unauthorised development.
LSN India ·
A Turkish property company faces demolition orders after constructing holiday homes without planning permission on historic woodland in Silsden, England. The firm purchased the 33-acre Jacobs Farm site for £1.05 million two years ago before undertaking unauthorised building works that resulted in the removal of approximately 100 trees from the 500-year-old woodland.
A planning inspector rejected the company's appeal against the local council's enforcement action, upholding the decision to halt the illegal development. The ruling underscores strict enforcement of planning regulations protecting England's heritage woodlands from unauthorised commercial development.
As part of the enforcement order, the Turkish firm has been instructed to replant 100 trees on the site to restore the damaged ecosystem. The demolition order and replanting requirements aim to return the historic woodland to its original condition and prevent similar unauthorised development on protected heritage sites.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between property developers and local authorities over enforcement of planning permissions, particularly on environmentally sensitive sites. Councils across England have increasingly prioritised protection of ancient woodlands from commercial development that threatens ecological and historical value.