Devon Family Living 'off Grid' and Facing Eviction!

[Adrian]

A COUPLE living an "off-grid" lifestyle say they face prison unless they move from their own land in Willand and return to an existence in the benefits trap.

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.

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Dinah and Stig Mason with sons Yosse, 8, and Dahli, 9, and Moo the dog at their lorry home
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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.

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.

They faced magistrates on March 31 when they were served with an injunction to leave within 28 days from June 1.

Dinah, 35, who spent a year with her husband clearing four-foot high nettles and thistles which engulfed the four-acre site, said: "How anybody can say the orchard was being conserved before is beyond my comprehension."

Dinah works while Stig, 34, as well as making sure the children get to school on time, tends to the land on a daily basis where peas, potatoes, garlic, strawberries, raspberries and various produce have been growing since 2009.

Vegetarians Stig and Dinah claim council officers offered them bed and breakfast accommodation in Cullompton at taxpayers' expense and suggested they live on take aways, which are likely to cost around £20 for each family meal.

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.

Stig, chairman of the Willand Composting Scheme and a member of the primary school's PTFA, sells eggs, produce, and hopefully cider in the future but explained that planning permission to live and work on the land was refused in 2009 which they are appealing against.

He said one of the council's reasons for refusal was based on a belief the couple had did not have a "sound enough business plan."

As well as plans to sell more produce locally, the couple say it is only likely to take them a further two years to get to a stage where they will be able to grow six to eight months' worth of vegetables.

Dinah, who is a community care worker, cub leader and also a member of the PTFA, said: "To live in an agricultural area you need to have a financial need, but this gives us enough to live on, but our whole ethos is not about making money.

"The council is saying by us living here it becomes mixed-use and is therefore no longer deemed agricultural."

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.

Dinah said removing them from their land will render them homeless and is concerned they will have to pull their children out of Willand Primary School if they have to move out of the area.

But several people from across the country have written to the council in support of the family's retention.

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.

"Neither condition was met and therefore took the necessary action to protect the nature of the rural landscape and prevent unlawful habitation."

The council said it cannot comment on individual cases of housing need and said bed and breakfast accommodation is offered if people are homeless.

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[Adrian]

An intersting blog post on the Masons

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Devon Family Living 'off Grid' and Facing Eviction!

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Just imagine spending years of dreaming about living 'The Good Life' then one day it becomes a reality. You give up the rat race, suburban living, the big smoke, the hustle, the bustle. Living a life in a place where you become totally self sufficient, working the land, growing your own food, generating your own electricity, surrounded by orchards, hay meadows, and hedgerows...being at one with nature while your children grow up in peaceful, beautiful surroundings.

For a lot of us living a life 'off grid' is nothing more than just a dream but for one couple Stig and Dinah Mason it became a reality. They inherited £47,000 from an Aunt and instead of wasting the money on fast cars, luxury holidays or any other material indulgences they decided to completely change their lives and live the dream by leaving their council house in Hertfordshire and buying some land in Mid Devon.

According to The Mid Devon Gazette The Masons have worked damn hard transforming Muxbeare Orchard into an oasis of calm and self-sufficiency which when they purchased it in 2009 was a run down, overgrown and very neglected four acre plot . They now have a huge allotment, a polytunnel and greenhouses to grow their own food, chickens for eggs and an orchard that they planted up 14 new apple tree's.

Dinah Mason works during the day as a community care worker while husband Stig sends the kids off to school in the mornings and then works their land. I personally grow a very small amount of food but growing enough to be self sufficient in fruit and veg would be a full time job in itself and bloody hard work but very rewarding and satisfying. To me this is the idyllic life and I can't help but admire them and what they are trying to achieve for their family.

The family have become very involved and active within their new local community...the children attending a local school, Dinah a cub leader and member of the PTFA and Stig is a chairman of the Willand Composting Scheme and also a member of the school’s PTFA, he sells eggs, produce, and is hoping to sell cider in the future but planning permission to live and work on the land was refused in 2009 which they are now appealing against.

They now have an eviction notice hanging over their heads as the local council are trying to 'boot' them of the land because it is Mid Devon District Council does not consider them to be conserving an agricultural area. One of the reasons that planning permission was rejected is based on a belief that the couple do not have a “sound enough business plan.”

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.

“Neither condition was met and therefore took the necessary action to protect the nature of the rural landscape and prevent unlawful habitation.”

I totally 'get' the need to have these laws to protect our rural landscapes but surely some exceptions can be made in circumstances like this? The Masons could be closely monitored and certain conditions could be put in place to prevent the land become ruined.

The council now expect the family to either face prison or give up their home and move into a B&B and receive benefits for rent and the children may even have to be pulled out of their school if they are forced to move out of area.

People from across the country have written to the council in support of the family and the local people fully support the Masons plight. Local resident Anne Wallington, praises the Masons hard work in reclaiming what was “rapidly becoming derelict land.” Another resident David Thompson, 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.”

There is also an online petition [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. Please take 2 minutes to sign it and support this family.

The Masons website is [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and Facebook page [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

So what do you think? Do you think this is fair, that the Masons should be removed from their land or do you think they should be allowed to remain and continue living their lives in peace?

[Wilhelm Von Rhomboid]

These things come up all the time. The issue is that they applied for planning permission and were denied it, and then went ahead anyway, in the knowledge that what they were doing was illegal. They do not have permission for a dwelling there. There is nothing to stop them living somewhere nearby and continuing to run their smallholding. And why do they 'face prison'? They face eviction, not prison. But even if they are evicted they are only evicted from living there, not from owning and farming the land.
And why exactly must they live in a B&B on benefits? Why doesn't Stig get a job and they rent somewhere to live nearby? Why didn't they stay in their council house in Hertfordshire and buy a plot of land local to where they were?
We have a smallholding of about the same size and we both work jobs to support ourselves and our children and keep the place going. Why is different for Stig and Dinah?
Yes, if you wnat planning permission to live on land you farm you have to demonstrate that a.) you are earning a livelihood from the land and b.) there is a compelling need for you to be on the land 24/7. And that is there to stop every downsizing London banker who fancies 'The Good Life' from buying a chunk of greenbelt land, building a mansion on it and sticking an eglu in teh back garden. Is there a compelling need for teh Masons to be on their land all the time? No. they have a veg plot and some chooks. Which would survive just as well if they lived ten miles down the road. Why are they an exception?

[Adrian]

Land here in Nova Scotia is zoned, where I live, you can own land and live on it with no interference from the government - from what I can see, the world has not yet ended, nor has the land been destroyed..

[Wilhelm Von Rhomboid]

Land here in Nova Scotia is zoned, where I live, you can own land and live on it with no interference from the government - from what I can see, the world has not yet ended, nor has the land been destroyed..

There is, however a lot more land in Canada than there is in England. And if that were the case here, all the land would be developed by people with a lot more money than the Masons.

[Adrian]

Land here in Nova Scotia is zoned, where I live, you can own land and live on it with no interference from the government - from what I can see, the world has not yet ended, nor has the land been destroyed..

There is, however a lot more land in Canada than there is in England. And if that were the case here, all the land would be developed by people with a lot more money than the Masons.

True enough, we are blessed with a very low population density, NS is around the size of Ireland and has the population of Leeds/Bradford, half of whom live in the city...

Still, the Masons are doing no harm and it is good to see land being used as they (and we) use it rather than being used as storage for a stockbrokers pony..

I am pleased to see that they are using official channels, applying for permission, appealing decisions etc - its frustrating when folk expect to be able to do what they wand without trying to follow the rules.. I do still think that they should be allowed to live on their land while their appeal is processed...

[Wilhelm Von Rhomboid]

Indeed, but that does not give them the right to live on it. No-one is trying to stop them using it to grow crops or raise chooks.
The law is all about precedent. If the council turn a blind eye to them living on greenbelt land, then what happens when a downsizing City worker from Surrey buys the plot next door and decides to live on it, citing their case as precedent?
And when it comes to it, why do the Masons have any greater right than a stockbroker? Because they look like hippies?