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A couple have been told to tear down their ‘unsightly’ log cabin in a national park after locals complained it was a blight on the ‘picturesque’ landscape.
Andrew and Deborah Melbourne built the fully insulated home on their land west of Lovedean Lane in Waterlooville, a viewpoint across the South Downs National Park.
However, after an investigation by East Hampshire District Council on behalf of the South Downs National Park Authority, it was found that the cabin breached planning rules.
The couple agreed last month that they would knock down the wooden building.
It is a move that would leave residents ‘thrilled’, councillor Sara Schillemore said.
‘Residents were appalled to see this unsightly structure being erected in one of the most picturesque and valuable viewpoints in East Hampshire,’ the ward councillor for the area of Catherington said.
She added that it is ‘vitally important that we protect our precious landscape’.
Between September 2024 and February 2025 officers served a planning contravention notice, two enforcement notices and a stop notice to the couple.
Andrew and Deborah Melbourne built the fully insulated home on their land west of Lovedean Lane in Waterlooville, a viewpoint across the South Downs National Park
The South Downs National Park (pictured) is England’s newest national park, designated on March 31, 2010
The Seven Sisters, a series of chalk cliffs by the English Channel, form part of the South Downs National Park
In May, ahead of a scheduled High Court hearing in June, the Melbournes signed a legally binding contract agreeing to remove the building, take away the log cabin and return the landscape to its original condition.
Councillor Angela Glass, portfolio holder for planning and enforcement, said: ‘We are delighted this legal agreement has been signed and we now expect the development to be cleared over the next couple of months.
‘This is the culmination of many months of complex legal and enforcement work by our determined team of officers to reach this position.
‘I want residents to understand that if people breach planning rules, then we have the means to take action against them.’
Tim Slaney, Director of Planning at the South Downs National Park Authority, said: ‘I’m delighted we’ve reached a resolution to this breach of planning that was harming this wonderful nationally designated landscape.
‘I would like to thank East Hampshire District Council which pursued this enforcement case with determination, making it clear we will not tolerate blatant breaches of planning.’
The agreement sets out a 56-day deadline to carry out the work. Failure to comply with this type of legal agreement can lead to enforcement proceedings in the High Court which can lead to costly legal fees and even a custodial sentence.
