24 January 2024 , 15:13
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The owner of a famous house with a 25ft shark sticking out of the roof has been told he can no longer rent it out on Airbnb.
The quirky property, known as the Headington Shark House, has been available for short term let on the site for the last five years in Oxford, with visitors flocking to see the shark sculpture crashing through the roof. It's also a hit with guests and can sleep up to 10 people, with prices for a two-night stay reaching as much as £2k.
However, owner Magnus Hanson-Heine has now been ordered to remove it from the site because he doesn't have the right planning permission. Magnus' father, Bill Heine, installed the shark statue on top of his property in secret without official permission in 1986, sparking a six-year planning row with Oxford City Council.
When Bill passed away in 2019, Magnus reignited his late dad's battle with the authorities when he protested against the house being added to a list of cultural assets. Now, Magnus is fighting again after being told he can't rent the house on Airbnb because he didn't get permission to change its use from a permanent residence to a temporary one.
He said he's appealing the decision with the National Planning Inspectorate and the house will remain open to visitors until the appeal is heard. He said: "My father always resisted giving any conclusive answer to the question what was the meaning of it. It was designed to make people think for themselves, and decide for themselves what is art.
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Visitors flock to see the bizarre design (Tom Wren SWNS)"Where properties have changed from being residential homes to becoming short let businesses without planning approval, we do take enforcement action. But it was anti-censorship in the form of planning laws specifically."
Magnus previously shared his worries that having the home added to a Heritage Asset Register was "a stepping stone" towards getting it listed - meaning more planning controls. Inclusion of a building or place on the register does not place any additional legal requirements on owners. But Magnus was firm in his stance that he did not want it added to Oxford City Council's list of important pieces of heritage.
Councillor Linda Smith, Oxford City Council's cabinet member for housing, expressed her concerns: "Where properties have changed from being residential homes to becoming short let businesses without planning approval, we do take enforcement action. Where properties have changed from being residential homes to becoming short let businesses without planning approval, we do take enforcement action.
"We live in one the least affordable places for housing in the UK. There are nearly 800 properties let out entirely as short lets in Oxford and we need those for people to live in and not as holiday accommodation."
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