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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Antony Thrower & Oliver Pridmore

Man gets planning permission to build hidden underground tunnel beneath house

A YouTube star has been granted permission for an underground tunnel he built from his home under his garden to his workshop - despite fears of subsidence.

Colin Furze, who boasts more than 12million followers on his channel, started the project in 2018 using a shovel and a pulley system to remove the rubble.

Mindful of his neighbours, the 42-year-old worked when they were out so as to not upset anyone.

He picked up the ambitious project last year and now the tunnel is 1.2 metres wide, two metres high and comes up into a cupboard in his kitchen.

For safety it is reinforced with steel and concrete.

Colin shared his experience building the tunnel with his YouTube followers (Bav Media / SplashNews.com)

After years of backbreaking labour had one more hurdle to overcome - convincing the local authorities it was safe.

In his most recent video he revealed South Kesteven District Council has given retrospective planning permission for it, despite objections from the town council, Lincolnshire Live reported.

He said: “I didn't have permission for it, not until a week ago anyway, but I'm pleased to say it got planning permission, it's all good, I don't have to fill it in.

At one time he was removing three tonnes of rubble every day (Bav Media / SplashNews.com)
The council inspector was "impressed" by the project (Bav Media / SplashNews.com)

"It wasn't that I wasn't going to tell them, it's just that I always think it's a bit easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission and also if you're putting in planning permission before, you essentially just give everyone else a head start to moan or worry about it.

"I didn't want anybody to do that so I thought, let's just crack on with it.

"Up until the first video landed, it genuinely was a completely secret tunnel. Only a handful of people knew about it.

Access to the tunnel is from a cupboard in his kitchen (James Turner/Lincolnshire Live)

“The council were actually really good, it wasn't I think until about video five somebody at the council saw it on Facebook and rang me up but they sent a guy out who was a really nice bloke.

“He came round and had a look and was quite impressed with it."

More than six million people have watched his updates on the tunnel, with several impressed with the amount of work ploughed into it.

Work started on the tunnel project in 2018 (Bav Media / SplashNews.com)

His other projects include creating a hover bike, a hot tub car and a staircase treadmill.

In its report, South Kesteven District Council said: "The proposal is partially retrospective with a large portion of the tunnelling works having been carried out.

“There is still further works required to complete the tunnels linking the house to the workshop.

"This application is not for a change of use as the dwelling would remain residential and the work would be contained within the specific areas, ancillary to the overall residential use of the site."

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