Beaurocracy Gone Mad

OK,Dixon's always complaining about it,see if you can cap this one,which happened yesterday,about two miles from here. Guy had applied for planning permission to build a bungalow. This was granted,on condition that "no further development should be carried out on this site".Its in the country. Now,on the guy's property(him having built the bungalow) was a derelict farm cottage.Two,to be precise,joined together (we call that semi-detached,lord alone knows what you call 'em). The cottages were two hundred years old.
So,he restored them and turned the two into one for his son to live in.He used,virtually unaltered,the existing shell,and as far as I can make out the roof.He spent about 86 grand on the place,and it looked great.Not,I might add,what I would call "development" and neither did he.Along comes the local council, jumped up nobodies to a man(and woman),and tell him he should have had permission,and he must KNOCK THE WHOLE THING DOWN. His reply was to the effect Foxtrot Oscar.So they took him to court, where,incredibly,the local nobodies *won*.Still he refused. Yesterday (and remember this old building has stood here for two hundred years)the council hired contractors,who,starting work at 6am had knocked the place over and *cleared the site* by lunchtime. At a cost of 12,000 quid.Which the poor bugger is expected to pay for.12,000 quid for half a days work.

Welcome to the Mother of Democracies folks.Its a pity that she's got senile decay.

The net result,incidentally is that the son and his girlfriend are now homeless,and the local authority wont re-house them.Why? Because,in thier words,they are VOLUNTARILY homeless.

So,if you want to get ahead in this great country of ours(now apparently fit for idiots to live in)be a demolition contractor. The moneys not good,its bloody *brilliant*.

Yours in utter disgust.