Greetings from Essex

[Strongbow]

Hi, and happy new year,

 

I've signed up to this forum in the hope of avoiding the bear traps when it comes to lawful development certification.

 

I own a small cottage on a site that is otherwise industrial/brownfield. It started off life as a second hand mobile home back in 1996 and has never been used for anything other than residential. In 2013, it was given an outer cladding of shiplap, new windows, a simple pitched roof and proper chimney stack; together with an internal refit. However it has never been occupied on a permanent basis.

 

It lies within a wooded area but has not been artificially concealed. It has a post office recognised address, is on the electoral register and TV licencing are aware of it, but no enforcement has ever been started against it.

 

Through reading planning appeal decisions I am aware that there can be a distinction between built form and usage. I have been careful to avoid making it in any way 'ancillary' to the industrial use of the site.

 

The issue I'm trying to get my head round is whether the ten year rule (as opposed to the four year rule) demands a period of continuous occupancy and use as a residential unit to qualify it as a lawful house. If anyone can give me a concise answer to that, then that would be fantastic,  otherwise I'll launch a thread to debate the possibilities.