// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Hut owner wins battle to keep living in off-grid home he built
Finnimore believes building the hut was the best option during a cost-of-living and housing crisis
An off-grid hut that produces its own heating and electricity can continue to be the home of the man who built it, a council has decided.
Geoffrey Finnimore, a self-employed architectural designer, erected the structure in Glandwr, near Crymych, in 2020, but never told authorities or asked for permission.
Pembrokeshire council told him he must apply for retrospective permission for the home that is self-sufficient, and also collects rain water.
However, the local authority found that because it has now been occupied as a home for more than four years, it is immune from prosecution action.
"Without my home, which I created to solve my own problems without state assistance, having to pay for other accommodation would be catastrophic for my finances and well-being," Finnimore said.
The council asked him to apply for a lawful development certificate, external for the property.
This is a formal legal document confirming the development is lawful.
But as he had lived there for more than four years, it meant he could not be prosecuted, so his application was accepted, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Finnimore has lived in the hut since 2020 but never told authorities or asked for permission