 Caroline Barry built the house from straw on a tyre foundation |
A government planning inspector has ruled that a house in Somerset made from straw should not be demolished. Environmentalist Caroline Barry constructed her home made almost entirely of straw bales and logs coated with lime putty to keep the rain out.
The building in Butleigh has no mains electricity and no mod cons.
Mendip District Council said the house should be removed because it broke planning rules, but a government inspector has reversed the decision.
The council said the property - built on a concrete foundation - was a permanent fixture which required planning permission.
Ms Barry ripped up the concrete base and put the house back together on a foundation made from tyres.
The council said it was "very disappointed" by the move and is considering a legal challenge to the ruling.
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