A Crumlin builder growing his own food in a greenhouse has been ordered to tear down the structure.
Paul Toner (55) told The Irish News that he made the switch to homegrown produce several years ago for health reasons.
Giving a guided tour of the allotment he has created on his Largy Road property near the shores of Lough Neagh, he proudly shows off produce including tomatoes, chilis, cabbages and figs.
“I’ve always been into ecology and all things natural. Modern food’s full of pesticides so it’s been quite a while I’ve been growing my own food,” he said.
“It tastes better, there’s no chemicals and it’s the only food you can really trust.
“It’s very hard work, don’t get me wrong. But it’s satisfying to know you’re eating your own produce.”
Earlier this month, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council told him he had weeks to remove the “unauthorised greenhouse” and surrounding sheds.
“I put the greenhouses up this year and I absolutely love them,” he said.
“I was away on my holidays and came back and was greeted with a letter from the council telling me I have two weeks to take all my sheds down and my greenhouses, the whole lot has to go.
“I’m not going without a fight, it’s unfair to say the least.”
A conservationist and member of the Lough Neagh Barn Owl group, he said the greenhouse was constructed using scrap material and the food he grows is only used for his family.
He is also attempting to build an environmentally friendly house on the site using ‘hempcrete,’ a biocomposite alternative to concrete.
“The council has put every barrier and obstacle in the road. I’ve already forked out £11,000 for drawings for a hempcrete house,” he said.
“If anyone ever came to me looking advice on building a hempcrete house in the north of Ireland I would tell them ‘don’t even think about it.’
“The planning is a nightmare here. If I was to do it over again my house would have been built three years ago using breezeblocks.”
Stating the greenhouses are barely visible from the road, he believes there is no logical reason to remove them.
“The council tell you that they’re pushing green issues and they’re not,” he said.
“I thought I was going to get help here instead of absolute mental torture.
“The green build issues in this county really need highlighted, it’s pathetic.”
Agreeing to take down the surrounding sheds, he plans to appeal over the greenhouses.
“It would break my heart if I had to take them down. You can’t get any more green or environmentally sound than growing your own vegetables on your own patch,” he said.
“There’s that much talk about environmental issues and they’re going to penalise me for trying to grow my own food, it’s ridiculous.”
A council spokesperson said: “The council does not provide comment in relation to ongoing planning enforcement matters.”
Information on the council website states that permission is not required for greenhouses, with certain conditions.
These include that it is used for domestic purposes only, it does not cover more than half the total property and that no part of the structure is in front of or side elevation of the original house that faces onto a road.
Other restrictions are in place for properties in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
