I spent £3k constructing picnic tables and now jobsworths are demanding I tear them down for a petty purpose

A furious pub landlord has blasted ‘jobsworth’ national park planners after being threatened with legal action over a decking area.

Nigel Fawcett forked out more than £3k when Covid hit so customers could socially distance on picnic tables at his 295-year-old Yorkshire Dales watering hole.

He was permitted to install the outdoor seating outside the Street Head Inn in picturesque Bishopdale, North Yorks, without planning permission when regulations were relaxed by the government in 2020.

But now planners at Yorkshire Dales Park Authority say the structure is illegal – and have warned Mr Fawcett he faces court action and a hefty fine unless he demolishes the structure.

Mr Fawcett, 68, told MailOnline: ‘It’s just massively petty. The decking blends into the countryside, it’s not overlooking anyone and it means customers can sit out with a pint and watch the sun go down over the beautiful countryside.

‘Before we put the decking up, there had been wooden benches on the same site for 32 years and no-one had ever complained about them.

‘No-one’s actually complained about this decking – there have been no objections from anyone. If there had been, I’d probably be able to understand why I’ve got to tear it down.

‘People have loved sitting out there with a pint, taking in the views.

‘It’s just the people who run the Park who have got it in their heads that it’s no good.’

Mr Fawcett, a farmer who has run the Street Head Inn for 22 years, applied for retrospective planning permission only to have the request turned down ‘on landscape grounds’.

Despite there being no objections from neighbours or interested parties, in its ruling, the national park said the feature was ‘an incongruous and alien feature in the open countryside, harmful to the protected landscape of the National Park’.

Mr Fawcett told how the small decked area, comprised of six picnic benches, offer customers sweeping views across the Dales.

The green-painted timber is accessed by crossing a rural 60mph B-road, which planners said represented a safety risk. He has been given until March to remove the structure.

Mr Fawcett, who employs five full-time and eight part-time staff, said: ‘I’ll have to take it down because the last thing I want is to go to court and a fine, because that will add insult to injury.

‘Times are hard enough for pubs as it is. Labour’s increase in business rates and national insurance contributions will cost me an extra £90 every day from April.

‘Pubs are in decline with all the costs and I think the Park should be helping us generate income, not hindering us.

‘We’ve expanded our space to make income and they just want to decrease it.

‘What gets me is that they shout about supporting rural businesses, but when push comes to shove, they’re making life even harder for us.

‘They’re a law unto themselves – they have been for 40 years. Do they not want people to come to the Dales and enjoy the views?

‘If they’re not careful we’re going to end up as a museum around here, where people drive through, carry on, and won’t have anywhere to stop off for a pint or some food.’

Rejecting an appeal, the Planning Inspectorate said that while the timber decking was of a ‘low key nature’ it was ‘highly visible at the side of the road in the beautiful natural landscape’.

The report added: ‘Its presence will be even more noticeable on a good day when in full use, as the area will be popular with walkers and cyclists who will congregate at the facility for refreshments.

‘This incursion into this previously undeveloped and unspoilt area fails to conserve and enhance the landscape and scenic beauty of the National Park.’

Inspector Louise Crosby concluded: ‘I appreciate that the public house is a community asset that provides employment and thus benefits the rural economy.

‘However the business will still be able to operate just without the custom from this seating which is likely to be mainly during summer months when the weather is fine, in any event.’

Mr Fawcett said he was ‘perplexed’ by the ruling, adding that the decking had been used to host parish council meetings and recently a carol service.

He said: ‘If they think it’s an alien structure, then God help us all.

‘What’s the issue if people want to come and enjoy the Great British countryside and sit outside with a pint? I don’t know why they are so stubborn about it.’

A Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority spokesperson told Mail Online it was ‘working closely with Street Head Inn to find a resolution satisfactory to all.’

But Mr Fawcett accused the authority of ‘kidology’, saying he had not heard anything from park bosses since receiving an email telling him he had until March 1 to remove the structure.