Daughter's 'dream' Grimsby treehouse saved from demolition

The treehouse is built around a tree in the front garden of a house in Scartho, Grimsby

A treehouse built by a father as a birthday present for his daughter has been saved from demolition.

Planning officers had called for the structure in the front garden of a Grimsby home to be removed due to road safety concerns.

Damien George successfully argued his case before councillors who granted retrospective planning permission.

One councillor told the meeting the two-storey treehouse was "every child's dream".

Mr George started planning the project with his eight-year-old daughter five years ago.

The building on the corner of Edge Avenue and Charles Street in Scartho is wrapped around a tree and has been constructed from reclaimed timber.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council's highways department originally had no issue, but changed their mind.

It was felt that fencing associated with the treehouse obscured the visual range for vehicles reversing out of the home's driveway and increased the risk of accidents.

There were no objections from neighbours to the retrospective planning application.

Mr George told the meeting that due to his daughter's age, it would probably only be there for eight or nine years.

"Most of all, this would be a child's dream broken," if it was rejected, he said.

The structure will have to be removed once Mr George's daughter has grown up

Councillor Henry Hudson told the meeting the treehouse was an example of "Great British eccentricity".

"Every now and again, we get an eccentric resident who does something quirky and it's different," he said.

"We heard the applicant say it puts a smile on people's faces and that's the first thing I did when I saw it, I smiled."

Councillor Charlotte Croft described it as "a wonderful treehouse, every child's dream".

The meeting clarified with highways that the associated fencing was the key traffic safety concern and as a result put a condition that part of it was pared back.

Councillors voted unanimously to save the structure, which will have to be removed after nine years once Mr George's daughter has grown up.