Christian farmer who secretly turned a barn into a hidden home and lived with livestock is to be evicted after his 98-year-old neighbour complained

A man who secretly converted a farming barn into a secret home, then tried to browbeat city inspectors by shifting his bed into a closet and ripping out his bathroom before visits has lost his bid to continue living there.

Nicholas Steele, 67, transformed a 150-foot hay barn into what council officials later found to be a fully functioning residence, sheltered from the landscape in the rural South Downs National Park.

The large shed near the village of Northchapel in West Sussex had planning permission for agricultural use only.

Nicholas Steele, 67, transformed the 150-foot hay barn into what city officials later determined to be a fully functioning residence.

Nicholas Steele, 67, was ordered to leave his converted barn after he was found living there with his animals.

But Mr Steele, a self-employed builder, is pursuing what he describes as an ‘off-grid’ lifestyle, with quietly placed beds, a kitchen, sanitation facilities, shower room and toilet.

Now the independent Planning Inspectorate has ordered Mr Steele to abandon his secret home and remove his living amenities after hearing he ‘went out of his way’ to keep his home secret from the authorities.

The inspector said Mr Steele had been sleeping on a sliding bed hidden in a cupboard “primarily to prevent the council from finding evidence of him sleeping there”.

Clothes and bedding were stored in a metal filing cabinet, while a relative said they stayed in a ‘secret living area’ above the western entrance to the barn.

Mr. Steele also openly admitted that he ripped out the toilet and shower after learning that inspectors would be making an imminent visit.

Inspector Lee Douglas said Mr Steele’s actions went beyond ‘what could reasonably be described as maintaining a low profile’.

He added: ‘His actions amount to positive deception intended to obstruct the orderly operation of the council’s planning enforcement function.’

Mr Steele argued he had a right to stay under the so-called four-year rule that could make it legal to enter a home without permission

Complaints about someone taking up residence in the agricultural barn at Willow Spring Farm first surfaced in 2013.

However, it was not until 2022 that the authorities revealed the living arrangements; A fully equipped kitchen with a stove, sleeping quarters, a utility room with washing machines and a shower room with a toilet were discovered.

Neighborhood councilors also expressed their concerns, questioning how the building could be considered livable without mains electricity and stated that there was no municipal tax or electricity bill for the address.

Mr Steele argued he was entitled to stay under the so-called four-year rule, which can be made legal if an unauthorized home is used continuously without sanctions.

But the law puts the burden of proof strictly on the landlord, and Mr Steele was forced to admit that he had deliberately concealed his living arrangements.

His appeal was rejected after the Planning Inspectorate found there was no reliable timeline showing when major facilities were first installed, removed and reinstated.

Records show Mr Steele is registered for council tax and was on the electoral roll at another property between 2019 and 2021. Mr Steele said his former partner noted that he was living at another address “because he didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that I was living at Willow Spring Farm”.

Inspector Lee Douglas added that even if Mr Steele could prove he had worked on and off for four years he would still “profit directly from his deception”.

Mr Douglas said: ‘It is possible that the council’s inspections were not thorough enough, particularly in light of ongoing reports from someone living in the area, but site visit notes and photographs indicate a lack of evidence to encourage further investigation.

When the Daily Mail visited the site Mr Steele showed only the sleeping area on the mezzanine above the west entrance

‘So it is not surprising that these acts of deception resulted in the council closing investigations and not carrying out further inspections.’

The enforcement notice now gives Mr Steele six months to cease using the building as a home and remove the beds, upholstered furniture, kitchen units and shower room, effectively returning the structure to agricultural use.

When the Daily Mail visited the site, Mr Steele showed only the sleeping area on the mezzanine above the west entrance.

He explained that in the winter he sleeps next to his pigs at the other end of the building and heats the huge structure with a wood stove that runs only on wood he cuts from land he says he owns.

A portable toilet stood by the roadside and his green Land Rover Defender was parked inside the barn.

Mr Steele, a builder by trade, said he had done all the work himself for 14 years but refused to say how much he spent and refused requests to show the kitchen, bathroom or additional accommodation.

He emphasized that he believed he acted in accordance with the law.

“The way I see it, if you live somewhere for more than four years and no one complains, I thought it was allowed,” Mr. Steele said. ‘I’m not harming anyone, I have no close neighbors and I’m continuing my life.’

Mr. Steele, who slaughters his own pigs and sheep and makes his own pork pies, said he chose to live that kind of life because it suited him best and he preferred living close to the land.

Although he is a devout Catholic, his lifestyle is not part of a religious mission.

Neighbor Laurence Reed, 96, who lives a short distance away, said he had repeatedly raised his concerns with South Downs National Park officials.

‘I’ve never met him. All I knew about him was that he lived with a woman who worked at a local shop. He had a child by her.’

Mr Steele, a builder by trade, admitted removing the toilet in a panic ahead of a planning officer’s visit and added that he did not want a decision to be unfairly made against him.

In his final decision, the inspector said there was “a great deal of non-exhaustive evidence” that suggested Mr Steele spent most of his time on the property, but there was not enough reliable evidence that the barn had functioned as a residence for four consecutive years.

Instead, it found an ‘ongoing and ongoing pattern of deception’ that prevented the council from taking action sooner.

The appeal was rejected in its entirety and the national park’s enforcement notice was approved.

Mr Steele told the Daily Mail he had been in a period of ‘uncertainty’ since the barn was ordered to return to its original state.

The four-year rule was later changed.

Under current rules, homeowners will only be exempt from enforcement actions relating to extensions or developments if no complaints are made within the 10-year period.