John Kitson says he regrets making things ‘difficult’ for his local planning office (Picture: SWNS)
A man with cancer didn’t ask permission to build a £100,000 treehouse because he feared he wouldn’t ‘see the end’ of the build.
John Kitson, 42, said he didn’t want to ‘f**k around waiting months’ for his ‘dream’ project to become reality.
Now, the treehouse could be torn down.
Dad-of-three John built the cosy Cornish Treehouse property in a secluded woodland on his family estate.
The structure is elevated high above the ground, with WiFi available, and costs £195 a night to stay.
John admits he didn’t get the backing of planners to create the treehouse, but says an eye cancer diagnosis left him fearing it would take too long to get the green light.
When the build started he didn’t know if he would be around to ‘see the end’ of it.
He says he regrets making life ‘difficult’ for the local planning office and is now desperately seeking retrospective planning permission.
John Kitson built his ‘dream’ 100K treehouse without permission (Picture: James Dadzitis/SWNS)
But if the application fails, John will have to tear down the entire project.
He said: ‘Thankfully my cancer is not as bad as I thought, I thought I had a secondary tumour somewhere on my pancreas but thankfully I’m in the clear.
‘When I first got checked up I never thought it would be anything serious, but within days I was in London and then Liverpool for treatment.
‘I admit it’s not relevant for planning, but from a personal point of view it focuses your mind a bit if the worst did happen.
‘I just didn’t want to wait, I didn’t want to f**k around waiting months for planners and not be able to see the finished build.
It is rented out as holiday accommodation near Looe in Cornwall (Picture: James Dadzitis/SWNS)
‘I think that was part of the urgency for wanting to get on with it – it’s a difficult area to talk about.’
John is now doing well but still has to have an MRI scan every six months to check the cancer hasn’t spread.
He added: ‘There are more things to life and I didn’t know if I’d be around to see the end frankly when we started.
‘It’s a very weak justification and that doesn’t justify what I’ve done but it was the reason for wanting to get on with it.
‘I don’t blame the planners for doing their job and I’m delighted people are being supportive. If the worst happens, it happens and I’m a silly bugger.’
John says his heart would ‘break’ if the treehouse was torn down (Picture: James Dadzitis/SWNS)
John, a Morval parish councillor, built the treehouse – that has mains electricity and running water – during the pandemic.
It is now rented out as holiday accommodation in Morval, near Looe, Cornwall, advertised as a ‘cosy couples’ retreat’.
John, a former suits salesman from Bristol, took over the family estate after the passing of his grandparents in 2009.
Morval estate hosts over 20 families – including some who have lived on the site for over 50 years.
Despite not seeking planning permission, he claims that he did consult locals on the build – who had ‘no issues at all’.
The 42-year-old has to have an MRI scan every six months to check the cancer hasn’t spread (Picture: James Dadzitis/SWNS)
If the Cornish Treehouse does get turn down, John lamented it would ‘break my heart’.
He said: ‘I just hope Cornwall councillors understand that being a landlord is becoming quite difficult, a lot of people have sold up to people who then kick out locals and make AirBnBs.
‘It’s certainly a more profitable and low-effort option, but tourists should always be able to come here to Cornwall.
‘The more difficult it is for people to make alternative lodging options for tourists, the more you see locals being kicked out and AirBnBs being put up instead.’
A spokeswoman for Cornwall Council added: ‘The applicant has submitted a retrospective planning application to apply for permission so that it can be considered in the usual manner.
‘The application is due to be determined by December 1.’
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When the build started he didn’t know if he would be around to ‘see the end’ of it.