Cancer patient could be forced to tear down £100,000 dream 'treehouse retreat'
A cancer patient who built a treehouse without permission says he didn't want to wait for planners because he didn’t know how long he had to live.
John Kitson, 42, has since found out his eye cancer isn’t as bad as first thought and is now renting the Cornish Treehouse as holiday accommodation for £195 a night.
But he now faces tearing down the £100,000 one-bed property in a secluded woodland in Morval, near Looe, Cornwall.
The council is looking at a retrospective planning application from Kitson, with local tourism bosses saying the structure is unsafe.
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Dad-of-three Kitson, from Bristol, admits he regrets not getting permission but says his cancer diagnosis left him fearing it would take too long to get the green light.
Kitson is now doing well but still has to have an MRI scan every six months to check the cancer hasn't metastasised.
He said: "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.
"If they make me tear it down I’ll have to comply but it will break my heart."
Kitson, a Morval parish councillor, built the treehouse – which has mains electricity and running water – during the pandemic.
It has a modern, elevated wooden structure and WiFi.
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Kitson took over the family estate after the passing of his grandparents in 2009.
He says the plan was to pass on the costs of maintaining his estate's 200-300-year-old buildings on the site to vacationers – rather than existing tenants.
The Morval Estate hosts more than 20 families, ranging from “farmers to pensioners” according to Kitson – including some who have lived on the site for over 50 years.
A retrospective planning permission application has now been published for the property and is visible on Cornwall Council's planning portal with application number PA22/06132.
Locals have until December 2022 to comment on the build.
Kitson promoted his treetop getaway as a glamping destination online but when the council spotted the ad they claimed it was an unlawful safety hazard.
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 1st."
