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26/04/2008, 8:58 AM Amy Soyka Joined on 04/04/2008 Posts 181 Please defend this treehouse! I received this message the other day on Facebook: Hello Everyone, The leaves are starting to grow back and we've got our next building session planned. Yes, we are still building the Treehouse even though South Norfolk District Council ordered its complete destruction. We just build becuase its fun, this May we are going to Thatch it! (check out future pics!) We are however currently appealing which means we do not have to take it down until the decision has finally been made. The appeal has finally started and we now have until 16th of May to gather evidence - Including Petition, Surveys, photos and letters of support from the public, (message me if you live nearby). Now this is our last ditch attempt to save the Treehouse, and the last opportunity for the public to say anything. The best thing you can do is sign the petition (its a 'downing street' one but we can use it in this case) http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SavetheTreehouse/ And now as we are starting to post pictures and articles on this group, please invite everyone in your friends list to join and support the treehouse, its been a fantastic show of encouragment and we've told all the papers and organisations that we have over 1000 people in the Group! So invite! If you want to help in other ways please message me! ADAM JACKSON Tomorrownight.com Could everyone please, that is if you agree the treehouse should stay, sign the petition to stop it from being taken down. For those of you who dont know, the treehouse is situated at the bottom of these boys back garden. The boys built it as a summer project last year, because they had little else to do, and it helped them grow in their friendships together. You would think that something that is a symbol of what positive things the younger generation can do today, would be encouraged. But NO, the council didn't think so and have condoned the project, so the lads have gone to appeals. Which is why I ask you all please sign the petition, to keep this wonderful project alive. Cheers Amy    Report

26/04/2008, 9:34 AM nevermind Joined on 28/05/2007 Posts 1,503 Re: Please defend this treehouse! How is it constructed Amy? any idea, because I do not condone any tree houses that physically restrict of injure the tree, well made tree houses are merely sitting on the tree and are held in place with withies or straps, never nails. So if you have some more info, I'll sign it. nevermind    Report

26/04/2008, 12:15 PM Amy Soyka Joined on 04/04/2008 Posts 181 Re: Please defend this treehouse! if you gotoo their website and look at this picture here: http://tomorrownight.com/104b.jpg You can see that the treehouse is mainly built as a seperate structure on stilts, using the tree as a support.    Report

27/04/2008, 4:49 PM Glass Joined on 14/05/2007 Posts 396 Re: Please defend this treehouse! Perhaps if those building the treehouse had approached the Council for their advices before building it, they would not be in the situation they are now. Surely we have better things to do than worry about an eyesore like this. Glass    Report

27/04/2008, 5:35 PM nevermind Joined on 28/05/2007 Posts 1,503 Re: Please defend this treehouse! Thanks Amy, I have singed it. It looks lovely and I bet many children are having fun playing with it. It just so happens that sheds and tree houses are the most valuable incubators of ideas and new inventions. Eyesores are the Westlegate carbuncle, the Forum, every electricity pylon in the country and many other built environments, not this treehouse. Such non permanent structures should not require planning permission. Builder/Owners of it should be aware that they are reponsible for the tree and the health and safety of the house and users, not any council or insurance company. If there is a TPO, tree preservation order, on that tree, then the council has a case in question, but they cannot enforce a TPO they just put on the tree because of the treehouse, thats not the done thing.   The latest planning ideas from the big stink is to give every tree a value that is related to the value of the land, so nobody dare chops trees down willy nilly, a welcome move for trees. When I think of all the tress that were cut down to make way for the Twyford Down motorway cut, the Newbury bypass and the Batheaston bypass, the M62 and many other, my heart weeps. Hence, instead of a fancy piece of paper, mortar board wearing students matriculating or doing their masters should be handed over a flat pack shed, to enable them to clear their minds of all the artificiallity and pretence and get to work, utilising their individual brilliance into practical ideas, think and create. Three cheers to sheds and treehouses, Terry Pratchett swears by them, equally Trevor Bayliss who has invented all of his good ideas in a boathouse/shed. nevermind      Report

28/04/2008, 5:30 PM Glass Joined on 14/05/2007 Posts 396 Re: Please defend this treehouse!  nevermind wrote: Hence, instead of a fancy piece of paper, mortar board wearing students matriculating or doing their masters should be handed over a flat pack shed, to enable them to clear their minds of all the artificiallity and pretence and get to work, utilising their individual brilliance into practical ideas, think and create. Three cheers to sheds and treehouses, Terry Pratchett swears by them, equally Trevor Bayliss who has invented all of his good ideas in a boathouse/shed. nevermind You have outdone yourself, Nevermind.  This has got to be the best response so far this week.  Great idea.  Why did none of us think of this before our resident shedmeister? How about the Government replacing Student Grants with "Voucher for Sheds".  Lets educate our geniuses in DIY shed erection skills. Enable our students to "clear their minds of all the artificiallity and pretence and get to work, utilising their individual brilliance into practical ideas".  Perhaps those taking Masters degrees could be promoted to log cabins?  I wonder if Einstein had a shed, or was his a summerhouse?   Isambard Kingdom Brunel did all his best work whilst in his timber gazebo. Or could it be that Nevermind's post is the biggest shed load of "matriculation" posted on this forum this week?  Vorsprung durch dummkopf???? Glass    Report

28/04/2008, 6:24 PM nevermind Joined on 28/05/2007 Posts 1,503 Re: Please defend this treehouse! Einstein indeed developed his theory in blissfull isolation, how did you guess Glass, well done. Far from your pro insurance bull...on here, the importance of shedlife have long been recognised, just not by lame limeys like yourself, but by academia. It took them near enough 100 years to get savvy on this fact.   You have earned your own big log cabin in the sky with your reply, but its the dolls house version which corresponds with the size of your interlect that inhabits your dumb head, just to give a hint to those who don't know the correct translation of your favourite german word. Its not the position you have achieved/aquired in these illustrious universities but what you got between your ears. nevermind      Report

28/04/2008, 7:30 PM Alan Hardesty Joined on 15/05/2005 Norwich Posts 1,581 Re: Please defend this treehouse! Landrover, two stout ropes, one big skip, job done. I never stole your flag, I just rescued it from the gutter where you left it. For the truth go to www.bnp.org.uk just a link, like Denise has.    Report

28/04/2008, 9:09 PM nevermind Joined on 28/05/2007 Posts 1,503 Re: Please defend this treehouse!  Alan Hardesty wrote: Landrover, two stout ropes, one big skip, job done. Don't forget your peaked white hat and your petrol can, Alan, bring a few friends, its the done amongst your kind so I've heard. Are you suggesting your kind of 'third way' of enhancing local adhesion and community spirit? and don't forget to put your boots on. nevermind    Report

28/04/2008, 9:44 PM Glass Joined on 14/05/2007 Posts 396 Re: Please defend this treehouse!  nevermind wrote: ...the importance of shedlife have long been recognised, just not by lame limeys like yourself, but by academia. It took them near enough 100 years to get savvy on this fact. Of course, the world owes such a significant debt to the humble shed.  I found the proof....... Keep it coming!  We all need a good laugh. Glass    Report

30/04/2008, 8:53 AM nevermind Joined on 28/05/2007 Posts 1,503 Re: Please defend this treehouse! You didn't need to go through all that trouble Glass, but not bad for a tea towel, or is it an academic hanky given to you when you matriculated. I wish the tree house dwellers good luck and hope that many children will play in it happily ever after. nevermind    Report

10/05/2008, 9:34 AM Tomorrownight Joined on 10/05/2008 Posts 1 Re: Please defend this treehouse! hello, i found this on Google about the treehouse and what people were saying about it.  Im glad Amy posted all this originally, now if i could clear up all the misconceptions people might have about it.  a few facts :  The treehouse was made out of 100% recycled materials that were given to us by builders from skips that would have otherwise gone to landfill                    Its completely carbon nuetral as we have not used any electricity its all been made using hand saws, nails and such.                     There is nearly zero impact on the tree, we have consulted with the Royal Arboritum and multiple tree surgeons about the impact on the tree and this has been our top priority, infact there are only 6 nails into the tree itself, which we have been confirmed as having no impact on the tree itself due to its size.  Even when cutting off branches we have been strict to work round branches instead of cutting them off, which has made for an interesting interior!                    The original reason we created it was so that we had something fun to do that was outside and allowed us to get away from it all.  And as for what you guys were thinking about "places to think" i dont know what impact that has scientifically but i know that the treehouse is an amazing place for me to get away to think.  We built the balcony so that it faces the sun set!                    We DID originally speak to the district council about needing planning permission after someone mentioned it and the lady said that we wouldnt need planning permission because it was not large enough as she said the height was measured from the base of the treehouse rather than from the ground.  however, a few weeks later the enforcement officer decided that it should be measured from the ground and therefore needed planning permission!                     The tree does not have a TPO on it (tree preservation order) As for people that say it is an eyesore, please have a look at a more recent photo, the one posted above was from while we were building the roof, we still intend to thatch it and we have planted hedges all the way around and stained it a similar colour to the tree (tree friendly wood stain of course!) More recent photos -  the eye sore from the nearest road: http://www.tomorrownight.com/look0.jpg The eye sore next to the 10 story steel pylon:  http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v75/189/84/507602172/n507602172_50454_5654.jpg the eye sore from nearest public footpath: http://www.tomorrownight.com/look3.jpg besides, "eyesore" is a subjective term.  the council refused planning permission on the grounds that it detracted from the way the tree looked, all depends if you like treehouses or not! Thanks again to anyone that signed the petition, for more infomation please see www.tomorrownight.com Thanks    Report

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