I’m being threatened with PRISON for moving into unusual house on my own land… my neighbours are ganging up on me
A CARER has been threatened with jail-time for mooring his barge on his own land.
Dean Richards, 43, could face up to two years in prison for anchoring his mobile home on his legally-owned land in Cornwall.
The father, who co-parents his 8-year-old son and works as a carer for adults with special needs, now sleeps on his parents' floor so he can afford his legal fees.
Dean has also received an enforcement notice from Cornwall Council and legal action by a second home owner nearby.
He said the ordeal has lasted seven years and cost him a staggering £200,000.
Emotional toll
"It's a lonely road. I feel like an ant fighting an elephant," he said.
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He added: "It's a very scary place when you walk into court alone and you seen all these people with much more experience than you.
"I now have nothing left to actually make the boat liveable in for me and my son.
"I don't like to play the mental health card but it has affected me dearly."
The 86ft vintage Royal Navy munitions barge is currently on the foreshore at Point Quay near Truro - the strip of land which is covered by the sea at high tide but not at low tide.
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The neighbour, who's property is in Point, is taking the carer to court on the grounds of trespassing and being a nuisance.
"Cornwall Council and the Marine Management Organisation failed to tell them that they were the ones who told me I didn't need a marine licence," he said.
"I'm being punished for their mistake," he added.
Despite a "minority of key wealthy individuals" that are determined to have him moved on, the reaction from the majority of locals" has been very positive", Dean said.
"Some let me know they support me but cannot be seen to publicly do so as they live there and do not want to 'rock the boat,'" he added.
A new life
Dean bought the land, which includes the foreshore and the seabed on which the boat sits, in 2017 after selling two of his "high-worth" properties.
Coincidentally, a quay, slipway and large area of seabed in front of it, came onto the market soon after, which he bought at auction.
He later bought the vessel which he believed would be perfect to convert into a home for him and his 8-year-old son.
The area holds dear memories for the 43-year-old as it's where his mother grew up and grandfather owned several properties.
The switch to marine life followed a 17 year career in banking, where he met numerous people struggling to make ends meet.
He became increasingly frustrated with multiple homeowners who he felt were taking away housing from people who needed it most.
When his younger brother took his own life after a long battle with his mental health he decided it was time to change his ways.
"My brother's decline in part was to do with lack of available housing options for him," he said.
"I started to realise I was part of the problem," he added.
Legal nightmares
Dean said he spent hours researching marine rules and regulations to ensure his legal rights before embarking on his new life.
Despite initially being told by the MMO that he wouldn't require a licence to moor his vessel, just a year later this decision was reversed.
He was told he would need a certificate to drop his pin anchors - or spudlegs - the instruments used to secure vessels in place and prevent them from drifting.
Following months of waiting, Dean was refused the licence despite Cornwall Council, Environment Agency, Natural England, the Royal Yachting Association, Trinity House, Historic England agreeing he could keep the barge there using this method.
Dean said: "I'm just one guy who can't afford to fight them, but it's much bigger now, it's not just about me.
"Once again the freedom of movement for those who choose to live alternatively is getting a nail in the coffin."
The government website says the MMO is "driven by government’s aim for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas."
But according to Dean, the body is actively promoting the reverse.
"They've told me that I could use a chain and anchor and not need a licence," he said.
Research suggests that when an anchored boat swings the chain drags across the bottom disrupting the seabed below.
In Cornwall, this also releases toxic sediment that is buried in the ground - from a history of mining - said Dean.
The father-of-one has been battling with the local council too, who said he requires planning permission or a lawful development certificate to keep his barge on the land.
After a long battle with Cornwall council he was granted the certificate of lawfulness to move his boat back onto his land.
However upon doing so he was then immediately handed an enforcement notice, which he is now appealing.
Fighting for alternative living
For Dean, winning this battle is important not just for him but for his wider alternative-living community too.
According to the former banker, the right to anchor is being threatened for all boat owners across the country, thanks to increasing licencing fees.
"My case is just one example of these bodies trying to restrict people from living alternatively.
"Some people have chosen to live this way because they can't afford housing.
"If they win this case against me, it sets a very dangerous precedent for all boat owners."
He's even set up a to try and stop anchoring boats becoming an "imprisonable offence."
Cornwall Council said: "Planning decisions are made on the merits of each case, as a matter of fact and degree.
"Decisions may indeed vary if the facts of the development undertaken differ.
"There is a right of appeal, which in this case has been exercised, and the Planning Inspector will consider the facts of the case independently of both parties before making a decision."
The MMO said: "As this is an ongoing matter, we are unable to comment at this time."
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This comes as an elderly couple claimed they were being made homeless by a new moorings owner that wanted to chuck them out to make room for new "mega boats".
The married pair said that since the new owners took control of the moorings in Chelsea, they have attempted to increase license fees to be there from around £30,000 to £500,000.
