I built castle by hand but now forced to tear it down for SECOND time by council, says ‘real-life Rambo’ war hero
A WAR hero who built a castle by hand for veterans to take time out is tragically being forced to tear it down for a second time.
Ex-lance corporal Mike Allen, 43, worked on the cabin in Sirhowy Valley, South Wales as a way to deal with his PTSD.
He lugged the massive stones up a steep hill one by one to create his little hideaway – which fellow veterans also could use as a place to unwind.
But he has again been told by the local council that it doesn’t meet regulations, saying it feared “agricultural land is being used for recreational purposes”.
The veteran, who’s been dubbed a “real life Rambo”, has now appealed the council’s decision in the hopes of saving his castle.
The remote retreat was first bulldozed in 2018, but a campaign by The Sun helped Mike find a new location for a new cabin.
Mike rebuilt the cabin in 2019 with £200 worth of stone and timber but is now fundraising to stop his cabin being demolished for a second time.
He said this week: “They said I could come here and build what I wanted to. They didn’t expect a castle to be honest but it’s just evolved into that over time.
“Since leaving the Army there have been certain periods of time where I’ve had a tough time and rather than procrastinating I’ve come up here with a bag and collected loads and loads of stones.
“After one particular bad period I collected a big pile of stones and I upgraded the cabin into a castle.
“As it’s gotten bigger and bigger and more people have come up it has been brilliant to see so many happy faces up here. It has been a coping mechanism for myself.
“If I sit down and do nothing I have questions going around and around in my head. I’d rather be doing something functional and in the moment and doing something creative.”
Mike says if he does have to pull the castle down he’s vowed to rebuild it to meet regulations.
The 43-year-old continued: “I built this with absolutely no money at all.
“I collected all the stone myself and carried all the logs across so with that there is no cement and treated wood at all so it’s got a short lifespan – we always knew that.
“We’re not going to try and argue – what we are going to do is break the castle down into two. One half will be a barn specifically for the animals.
“The landowners here have been brilliant to myself and they have helped me but they also do a lot for rescue animals.
“The second half will be making a bothy for when the local community comes up where people can play music, do what they want up here, and we will change that part then to recreational so it won’t disrupt the whole farm.
“We are just going to try now to redevelop the castle into parts by the specified regulation.”
He says the castle has been used for yoga, meditation, fitness sessions, star gazing, family hikes by many and over time.
The Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “We are sympathetic to the background to this development and we recognise the level of support that Mr Allen has attracted during this project.
“However, as local planning authority, we must enforce planning laws consistently and address matters of concern relating to public safety.
“It has been widely reported that thousands of people have been visiting the building over recent years, but the structure is unsafe and poses a significant risk to anyone visiting the site.
“We have a duty to protect the public and enforce current legislation, therefore it is important that the council applies a fair and consistent approach to all planning breaches.
“We will continue to work with Mr Allen, along with the owner of the land, to ensure that the requirements listed in the enforcement notice are carried out as quickly as possible.”
Allen was diagnosed with PTSD after seeing pals blown up by bombs in Afghanistan as part of the Royal Welsh.
His marriage collapsed and he had to kip on friends’ sofas before building his remote cabin — without forestry permission.
When he returned from a Remembrance Sunday weekend in 2018 he found the first castle and his belongings gone.
Mike told The Sun at the time: “After my home was destroyed I had to start again.
“Thanks to The Sun a local land owner came forward and showed me a plot of land where I could rebuild my home.
“Sometimes we struggle to be around normal people and it can be hard to cope – but when we’re with other veterans and other people in the same position its easier.
“After leaving the army, I had some serious mental health issues and other problems. I struggled for a very, very long time and things weren’t working.
“Things continued to go downhill so I ended up going up the mountain and started building.
“The cabin started as a shelter but turned into something really special. It was healing me. It gave me cover from the elements, focus, and a sense of accomplishment whilst appreciating the landscape.
“I want to make a place where veterans who are in a dark place can come here, have some R&R, breathe, and take some time.”
What are your rights in this situation?
Planning permission guidance according to gov.uk
You will need to request planning permission if you wish to build something new, make a major change to your building or change the use of your building – for example starting a business.
To find out if you need planning permission you should contact your Local Planning Authority through your council.
If planning permission is refused you can appeal.
You are able to appeal if you were refused planning permission for reasons that you think go against the LPA’s development plan or planning policy (you can usually find these on their website).
You can also appeal if you were granted planning permission with conditions you object to – you’ll need to explain why you think they’re unnecessary, unenforceable, vague, unreasonable or irrelevant.
Another ground for appeal is if the LPA has not given you a decision on your application and 8 weeks have passed since the date they told you they’d received it (or a different deadline you agreed with them has passed).