A DAD who splashed out more than £60,000 to live in an off-grid “pirate ship” house fears it will be scuppered by planners.
Sam Griffiss, 35, converted an old fishing boat, adding a cabin dormer on stilts and a wheeled wood-fired sauna — but without getting planning permission.
The ex-construction worker raised the £36,000 needed by selling his house in Worcester in July and built on land he had bought for £28,000.
He finished his new home on the River Severn in Bewdley last month.
But he fears his dreams will be sunk unless he can get retrospective planning permission.
Sam said: “There aren’t too many pirate ships in the landlocked Midlands.
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“I feel what I’ve done is quite creative and beautiful and one day I hope the site can function as a community centre for outdoor activities.
“I’ve spent every bit of my money on this.
“I really need to get the planning permission so I can have an official address and make it a permanent home, and then have my daughter living with me.”
Sam harvests rainwater and gets his power from generators and solar panels.
He added: “Since Covid, life has got really expensive and I realised I was living to pay the bills.
“When I split from my partner, I had a bit of equity from the house, so I decided to use my savings to build my off-grid pirate ship, the Daisy May, on land I’d I bought a few years ago.
“I had intended to build a canoe shack, but the council wanted a lot of details, so I never got around to it.
“I chose a boat as I was told you don’t need planning permission.
“I have built everything by the book in terms of moveable objects and agricultural buildings.
“I’m not a rebel, though I guess what I am doing is quite pirate-like — fighting the system.”
Wyre Forest district council said: “This property is currently part of an active investigation case.
“We are unable to comment further.”
