Josie Hitchens is facing a battle with the planning enforcement department of Hackney Council in London, over what they are calling a ground floor single storey extension that has been 'erected without planning permission'.
The structure in question is commonly known as a 'catio' – basically some thin battens of wood with chicken wire stapled on top. It has been in place for 5 years. It has no foundations, no electric or plumbing, it is easily taken down, can be moved from place to place and is held together with cable ties. It is not fixed to the property and does not contravene the '50% footprint' planning rule.
Hackney Council are now threatening 'enforcement action' if it is not torn down or if Josie does not apply for planning permission. The grounds for this are apparently a complaint by a single neighbour and not 'residents' as has been claimed by the council. Josie has already been told by the council in an email she will not get planning permission for the catio.
Some background on Josie and her cats. Josie suffers from PTSD and considers her felines as 'therapy cats'. They are all cats she has saved from various types of situations; several are blind and one is deaf. Without the catio they cannot go outside, have fresh air or get a taste of the freedom that other cats enjoy. The catio is there to enrich their environment and cannot possibly cause a problem for any neighbour in a private garden.
Please sign and share this petition, to show Hackney Council that as a nation of animal lovers we will not tolerate this bureaucratic, bullying and petty behaviour towards someone that hasn't broken any laws, and only does right for the animals under her charge.
Thank you for your time.
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