A British farmer who built his home into a castle - literally - must now demolish his prized abode thanks to a court order.
Robert Fidler, 60, lost a High Court bid to save his residence on Wednesday and now must destroy his once-secret fortress, which had been carefully concealed from planning authorities for years.
Robert Fidler stands outside his home at Salfords, England, Wednesday Feb. 3, 2010, which may have to be demolished after a High Court ruling. Fidler, a farmer, who secretly built the home and lived in it for four years while it was concealed behind bales of straw lost a High Court bid to save it from being demolished. A judge ruled that Fidler, 60, who took two years to covertly built his dream home with ramparts and cannon, was not entitled to benefit from his deception of the local planning authority.
AP Photo/Gareth Fuller-pa
AP
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Fidler has exactly one year to comply with the court order.
The castle, situated in Salfords, Surrey, 65 km south of London, was built in 2002 and Fidler's family called the fortress their home for four years before authorities took legal action.
The medieval-styled structure, which comes complete with its own cannon, ramparts and stained glass windows, had been hidden from public view during construction by bales of hay and a protective covering.
Mike Miller, a chief planner with the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, told the Associated Press that he was happy with the court's decision.
"This was a blatant attempt at deception to circumvent the planning process," he said.
For his part, Fidler had attempted to legalize his unusual structure by living in the castle for four years - which would have made the home immune from planning control.
The court, however, found the farmer had no basis to rely on the four-year immunity period because he had built the structure in a "clandestine fashion." The court ruled Fidler could not benefit from this deception.
Fidler's lawyer, Pritpal Singh Swarn, said the home owner is disappointed with the ruling.
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