Hobbit house saved from demolition

A Lord of the Rings style “hobbit house” that cost £3,000 to build has been saved from demolition thanks to its sustainability credentials.

Former council official Tony Wrench built the roundhouse, which measures 10m in diameter, from a mix of mud, straw, sand and water and 40cm logs in 1993.

It was one of several structures that formed an eco-community in the Perseli mountains west of Wales.

But in 1993, a pilot carrying out an aerial survey spotted sunlight glinting off a solar panel in the eco-village and reported it to officials who found it did not have planning permission.

The “lost tribe” then endured 10 years of legal battles to stop their homes from being demolished.

Yesterday the park authority, bowing to sustainability's popularity, amended its rules to allow low impact housing, reported the Times.

Planning approval has also been given for eight roundhouses, lavatories, agricultural buildings and workshops on the land.

Power is generated on site, water is collected locally and most of the villagers’ income comes from working the land and small industries.

Mr Wrench told the newspaper: “It’s great that our efforts to build a community using renewable resources have now been supported.

“We had to prove that we were improving the biodiversity of the area and conserving the woodland – and we did that.”