Father, 42, who built £100k treehouse without a permit after suffering cancer shock gets green light

A father who built a luxurious £100,000 treehouse without planning permission after being diagnosed with eye cancer was subsequently given the green light for the project.

John Kitson, 42, built the luxury one-bedroom Cornish Treehouse estate in a secluded woodland setting in Morval, near Looe – a modern raised timber structure with WiFi available from £195 a night.

The father of three built the luxury holiday home without council approval after being shocked by cancer and fearing he would never complete it.

Mr Kitson built the treehouse to fund an estate he manages, but an official plan would have “limited” his ability to make artistic decisions over the course of the work.

John Kitson (pictured) built the luxurious one bedroom Cornish Treehouse estate in a secluded woodland setting in Morval, near Looe

The modern raised timber structure, which is equipped with WiFi, is available for hire from £195 per night

But he later admitted he was a “stupid prick” for ignoring scheduling regulations.

In October he said: “I just didn’t want to wait, I didn’t want to wait months for planners and not be able to see the finished build.

“I think part of the urgency is wanting to move on – it’s a difficult area to talk about.

“That puts things in context a little bit. There are more things in life and I didn’t know if I would be there to see the end open when we started.

“It’s a very weak justification and it doesn’t justify what I did, but it was the reason I wanted to continue with it.

However, it has now been granted retrospective planning permission by Cornwall Council after receiving support from the local community.

The Treehouse is a modern, elevated wooden building with WiFi and is available from £195 per night – advertised as a ‘cozy retreat for couples’.

John, a former suit salesman, has long claimed he regrets making life “difficult” for the local planning office, particularly after being told his diagnosis wasn’t as serious as first thought.

Although he hasn’t applied for planning permission, he says he consulted locals about the construction — without encountering any real opposition.

He says he’s “a happy boy” now after the application was conditionally approved on Jan. 3.

The tree house has electricity and running water and is rented out as holiday accommodation advertised as a ‘cozy retreat for couples’.

The one bedroom property has received subsequent planning permission from Cornwall Council

Mr Kitson originally built the treehouse as a way to fund a property he manages in Cornwall

The modern-looking bathroom in the treehouse – John says it was his dream project and started construction during the pandemic

John, a former suit salesman, has long claimed he regrets making life “difficult” for the local planning office

Though he hasn’t applied for planning permission, he says he consulted with local people when building the treehouse

John said: “It’s very encouraging and a very worthwhile cause and we have a lot of happy faces visiting us. We have also received many support emails since the planning application was received.

“I spoke to my tenants before I started construction and explained to them what I intend to do. They didn’t have any problems with that. People here see it and see the effort, many locals know people who worked on the tree house.

“I tried to use local businesses, like a former tree surgeon I know who made the bed and sink for the tree house.

“I really believe in the sustainability agenda and that’s why we designed the treehouse to include a lot of native wood that we had to cut down due to a pretty nasty tree disease.

‘ It was designed to have as little impact on the local area and the environment as possible, we didn’t use concrete for example. When you build a house, you know exactly what you’re going to do before you do it. It was a bit like painting a picture.

“You end up knowing what you want, but you don’t know exactly how you’re going to get there. I wanted to hack, change, adjust and rebuild to make it perfect.’

Residents had until December to comment on the unauthorized construction.

More than 20 members of the public also wrote to the council to comment on the construction, with comments generally being positive.

A local resident commented: “I live in the community and have a vacation rental cottage not far away, it’s hard to make a living from vacation rentals.

John, a Morval local councillor, built the treehouse – which has electricity and running water – on the property he managed during the pandemic

John initially feared he would never see his finished creation after a cancer diagnosis threatened to blind or kill him

But he’s slowly recovering and has to have MRI scans every six months to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread

“How nice to see an innovative idea for tourism and pay off from visitors’ comments. I can understand why visitors like it and it blends in well with the surroundings, can’t be seen unless you know it’s there.

“We are losing local vacation rentals at an alarming rate. I hope this one gets officer support!’

Another person who stayed at the tree house last month wrote: “Having just stayed here we absolutely loved the place, it was very private, the interior design was to a very high standard and I think it is an asset the property and it’s setting.

“It won’t cause traffic problems and will stimulate a little more tourism in a much-needed area. I only wish there were more people with the inspiration and innovative ideas to create such an amazing relaxing experience.

“It would be an absolute shame that all planning for this delightful treehouse would be scrapped.”

John, a Morval local councillor, built the treehouse – which has electricity and running water – on the property he managed during the pandemic.

The Morval estate is home to over 20 families, ranging from “farmers to pensioners,” according to John – including some who have lived on the site for more than 50 years.

He took over the family estate after the death of his grandparents in 2009.

John says the plan is to pass on the cost of maintaining his property’s 200-300-year-old buildings to holidaymakers – rather than to existing tenants.

He continued, “We wanted to generate an income to try and raise money without asking our tenants on the property to pay for upkeep of the site, especially with the cost of living and various tree diseases we had on site.

“I just don’t want to pass those costs on to tenants. We looked at a pinwheel but that would have annoyed all the locals and would have been a lot more disruptive compared to this tree house.”

John initially feared he would never see his finished creation after a cancer diagnosis threatened to blind or kill him.

But he’s slowly recovering and has to have MRI scans every six months to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread.

He said: “Luckily my cancer isn’t as bad as I thought I thought I had a secondary tumor somewhere on my pancreas but luckily I’m clear.

“When I was first checked I never thought it would be anything serious but within days I was in London and then Liverpool for treatment.

“I admit it’s not relevant to planning, but from a personal point of view it sharpens the mind a bit when the worst has happened.”

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