Farmer Nicholas Steele’s attempt to live undetected in converted barn fails as inspectors expose slide-out beds and concealed sanitation in South Downs National Park

A 67-year-old farmer, Nicholas Steele, who secretly converted a 150-foot agricultural barn into a hidden home, has lost his appeal to continue living there after South Downs National Park authorities discovered his off-grid lifestyle.

What started as a quiet attempt to live close to the land has escalated into a high-profile planning dispute, highlighting the strict rules surrounding rural property use.

Life Hidden Among Hay Bales

Mr Steele, a self-employed builder, transformed a hay barn at Willow Spring Farm near Northchapel into a fully functioning residence, despite the barn being legally approved only for farming purposes.

The home included beds, a kitchen, a shower room, and sanitation facilities.

To avoid detection, he employed creative—and deceptive—measures: sliding his bed into a cupboard, storing clothes in metal filing cabinets, and even ripping out the toilet and shower when inspectors were due to visit.

His lifestyle was genuinely off-grid. He slept on a mezzanine alongside his pigs in winter, used a log burner for heat, and relied on a portable toilet.

He butchers his own animals and even makes pork pies, embracing a self-sufficient life that he described as “best suited to him.”

Inspector Calls Out “Pattern of Deception”

Planning Inspector Lee Douglas ruled that Mr Steele went far beyond merely keeping a low profile.

“His actions amount to positive deception to prevent the regular operation of the council’s planning enforcement function,” he stated.

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The inspector highlighted the intentional concealment of living facilities, and the removal and reinstatement of key features, as evidence that Steele tried to hide the residence from authorities.

Complaints from neighbors about someone living in the barn first emerged in 2013, but officials only uncovered the full setup in 2022, discovering a range cooker, utility room, and proper sleeping areas.

Parish councillors questioned how the barn could be considered habitable without mains electricity and noted the absence of council tax or utility bills for the property.

The Four-Year Rule Didn’t Save Him

Mr Steele argued that he should be allowed to stay under the so-called four-year rule, which can legalize unauthorized homes if they have been continuously occupied for four years without enforcement action.

However, because he had deliberately concealed his living arrangements—and was registered for council tax elsewhere between 2019 and 2021—his appeal was rejected.

Inspector Douglas also noted that even if he had proven four years of occupancy, he had “profited directly from his deception,” further invalidating the claim.

Neighbors and Community Reactions

Local residents, including 96-year-old Laurence Reed, repeatedly raised concerns about Mr Steele’s unconventional living arrangement.

Despite his devout Catholic faith, Mr Steele emphasized that his lifestyle was personal and not tied to religious practice.

Neighbors reported seeing minimal interaction with him, other than references to his former partner who worked locally and his child.

What’s Next?

Mr Steele has six months to remove all living facilities—including beds, kitchen units, and the shower room—and return the barn to purely agricultural use.

With the enforcement notice upheld, he faces the challenge of stripping out years of personal modifications and resuming a lifestyle more in line with planning regulations.

While he remains in “limbo” over his next steps, this case underscores the tightening of planning rules: under current laws, homeowners are only protected from enforcement action on unauthorized structures if no complaints are filed within a ten-year period, replacing the older four-year rule.

Summary

Nicholas Steele’s story illustrates the risks of trying to live off-grid in secret.

What began as a self-sufficient lifestyle evolved into a legal battle over rural planning rules, deception, and neighbor complaints.

The Planning Inspectorate has made it clear that intentional concealment will not shield homeowners from enforcement, leaving Mr Steele to return Willow Spring Farm’s barn to its intended agricultural purpose.