The owner of a house in Oxford that has a huge shark sticking out of the roof is protesting plans to make it a listed building.
Bill Heine installed the statue on the top of the house as a protest against “planning restrictions and censorship” in 1986.
After the shark was secretly positioned on the roof, Mr Heine began a six-year planning row with the local council before passing away in 2019.
His son Magnus Hanson-Heine is adamant the building, dubbed the “shark house” or “Headington shark” in a reference to the local area, should not be added to Oxford City Council’s list of important pieces of heritage.
The council is asking residents to comment on 17 potential new additions to the Oxford Heritage Asset Register, with one of the proposed sites being the “shark house”.
According to the local authority, inclusion on the register “helps to influence planning decisions in a way that conserves and enhances local character”.
Magnus Hanson-Heine, a quantum chemist, has said that the house’s inclusion on the list would be a “stepping stone” towards getting listed on a national basis, which could mean more planning controls.
He added that the listing would go against his father’s original purpose for the sculpture, which was to “protest against planning restrictions and censorship”.
He said: “My father always resisted giving any conclusive answer to the question what was the meaning of it, as it was designed to make people think for themselves, and decide for themselves what is art.
“But it was anti the bombing of Tripoli by the Americans, anti-nuclear proliferation, anti-censorship in the form of planning laws specifically.
“I see what they are trying to do and I’m sure it’s very well-intentioned. But they don’t view it now as what it is.”
Mr Hanson-Heine continued: “You grow up with these things, they become part of the scenery and you lose focus of what they mean.”
A representative of Oxford City Council said: “The Headington Shark was nominated by members of the public to be designated as a heritage asset.
“The council sent letters of notice of nomination in November to all owners of property that had been nominated so they could share their views as part of the public consultation, whether this be for or against the nomination.”
The consultation ended on January 26 and a decision will soon be taken over which buildings should be added to the register.
