Being Evicted From My Off-Grid Eco-Island | The Island Dweller | Real Stories Indie Doc
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- A 50-year old man has swapped his corporate job for an off-grid island in Leicester - yet his dream is at risk of collapse. Can he defy the odds or will he be evicted from his sustainable haven?
Saul upped sticks and bought an island four years ago. With his two dogs Bonnie and Mika, the 50-year old is on a mid-life journey to lead by example, living an off-grid lifestyle without spending the earth. But when an eviction notice rocks Saul’s world, his dream is at risk of collapse. Can he defy the odds and beat the authorities? Or will they curtail Saul’s attempts to simply live greener?
A film by Artefact Films / Matthew D'Henin
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There are many ways to make the councils work around the clock. A friend of mine had 0.5 acre of land he lives on. The land wasn't down to farming or anything so he put his caravan on and lived there. When asked to move on he put in planning permission for a block of flats. After a year they denied the planning permission so he put a new one in for a post office. Another year pasted and again he was denied. He knew it would all be denied but with planning permission in they couldn't touch him. He's put planning in one after the other. He's been there 18 years and they finally left him alone 😂
Exactly, TACTICS to keep them occupied. Too many people don't think to attack them and put a spanner in their works, rather than just been on the defensive.
Is that true? The council can't touch you while you've got a planning application in?
@@Nutmegsyourman Not sure if you woud get away with that now.
I love it! Someone who played their own game against them! Beautiful!
Smart! Good idea!
Seems a top bloke and I love his positivity, I'm personally taking comfort from where he says even if it all goes wrong I'll carry on its not the end of the world ill be alright, I suffer so badly with anxiety and worry of the future but seeing this guys chilled attitude and speaking like that gives me hope!!!!! Top guy, well done on the appeal.
I imagine his carefree attitude is perhaps because he has savings in the bank. He's had a high flying job for years. He's likely to be quite financially secure. He can afford to pay his council tax.
that's a possibility. although a nest egg doesn't give you immunity from lifes tribulations or immunise you from anxiety rage anger frustration etc ..
He has the attitude that's needed in these kid of circumstances, knocked to the ground he dusts himself off and happily reapplied himself knowing he could have more knocks but also how to fall without injuries.
Councils and government everywhere have just gotten out of control !!
I used to live in fear of nearly everything. I live in Houston and back in 05 we were hit by Hurricane Rite, I lost my business and our home, my children and I were homeless. We managed to pull ourselves together and in 08 we were hit by Hurricane Ike and we lost everything again. You soon learn not to worry about things you have no control over and the future is right up there. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is unknown and today is the gift to enjoy
I live in a tiny home now...no gas no internet no cable. I do have electricity but can't use more than one appliance at a time. 15 watts period. I'm 67 and single woman. The peace is worth it and I don't need much.
I'm 27 and want to move my family closer to this type of living. Society has become to fast and honestly overwhelming in so many ways. ☯️☮️
If you don't have internet then how you are commenting here?
@@darky1376 never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
@@darky1376 probably her cell phone.
*Internet
Nothing much more disgusting than arrogant petty bureaucrats who think they somehow have the right to meddle in other people's lives without regard to their natural rights to live as they wish as long as they are not harming others. Congratulations in overcoming these creatures, a victory for all of us who want to live an alternative lifestyle off the grid. Glad to know that there are still some in authority who respect justice.
Off grid means not buying electricity and water - everything else requires MANAFACTURING like his clothing or plumbing or tools and many LUXURIES that makes off grid possible. SOMEONE ELSE helps you LIVE FREE HA HA HA BS!!!
Exactly always trying to control people who gave them the right to control land's. We are so reign beings we aren't owned by governments
What part of "private property" don't they understand?
@@largedoglover99 I expect he has bought those manufactured goods so there are not actually free are they. It's living off grid not living in the Stone Age.
@@gb4939 So sad but so very true! When will the vast majority of people realize this and know that things need badly to be turned around and righted?
Of course they're trying to prevent him from surviving on a minimalistic budget, because they don't make their money then. Greedy companies will be holding discussions to prevent such lifestyles.
Exactly! You know, clever and functional individuals shouldn’t form an example to the rest of the enslaved society...
It’s always about money. !!!!
they are protecting his right to minimalism.
Yeah. Their claim about supporting the goals of low carbon footprint living and development is almost always a lie. Councils/Govt’s are all about making money for the construction industry and developers. Utterly committed to it. Govt is devoted to forcing residents into housing that forces u to pay for energy. And everything else. It’s the same in Australia.
Tis a very interesting story Saul.
I appreciate your fortitude.
You showed zero bitterness about what hurdles you had to jump over in securing your rights of ownership.
I find you quite an amazing gentleman.
Well done ole chap!
May you live long
with contentment and happiness on your little island.
Much respect and well wishes from me to you. 🇺🇸💝🙋♀️🌟
What's the guys channel in the video please as i also admire his work and would like to follow it?
@@simsimo7655 I did not see Saul as having a channel.
Wow, what an extraordinary, determined and positive young (😉 I am 56 yrs) man!! He obviously was quite successful and knows how it is to be in a big city.... and he chose to live with his dogs on an island... I fully understand his decision!!!
Me and my 10 cats live in the countryside here in Germany and I would not want to live in a city!!! So I totally understand Saul!!!!! This little island is an absolute paradise for him and his beautiful dogs....
So, congratulations, Saul, on being able to live the life you chose!!! And.... I name all spiders "Fridolin" 😉
I name my spinners Hans 🕷. Greetings from NZ
Sounds like someone has Toxoplasmosis
@@patrickday4206 what are you trying to say?
My husband and I have lived in a tiny house for almost 6 yrs now, for the first 2 1/2 yrs we hauled our water in. Now we have our own well, electricity. At times it was/ still is hard but most definitely worth every bit of it. It truly is our own little piece of heaven
Such an inspirational story! We need more Sauls in this world
Total respect for this guy 👏
Hi Saul, Johnathan B sent me to see your plight. I have to say I am so pleased for your out come. One does wonder what numpty started all of this in the first place at the council. Surely your stance on ECO living should be applauded.... If the council had any balls they should be sending an apology notice for you to put up in public, after all they love the public notices don't they. Well done and thanks for the inspirational video.
Agree with everything he says. Very inspiring. Recently I escaped to the country, I guess u would call it a mountainous region of Australia. Bought a dump. Am slowly doing it up. But I am not handy with DIY as this man seems to be. And that’s a real draw back if u are on a strict budget. I want to say, dreaming about living remote or off grid, is very different to the reality. Despite loving my choice, some days I kinda hate it. U have to accept things…waiting to go to town to buy stuff, wear a beanie inside if the wood stove is not heating enough, pay a fortune for big stuff to be delivered, no take away. And ! No one visits you. I hear u say, ‘fantastic, I don’t want them visiting me’. But really, u need a face to face conversation regularly. Beyond a chat with 1 of your chickens.
Leave the guy alone, what harm or crime is being done here?! Geez..I truly admire off-grid innovators.
Fair play to you Saul! I cheered when you announced you won the case! Hope you and your lovely dogs are doing ok in the heat! Thank you for caring and wanting to do things differently 🙏🏼
He lives in Leicestershire?! That's where I am! Never heard of this place but absolutely envy him and his beautiful life. So glad he won!
Absolutely beautiful existence you're living. You're a wonderful example of what a person can do to help save our planet. I envy you, and wish you the very best. Thank goodness there are men and women who want to live the life you're living. God bless.
Jobsworth Council whoever started this harassment should be fired its disgusting,councils are out of control with their harassing people. Full of ego .
I wish Saul and Mika and Bonnie the very best. Much respect. This documentary made me smile.
Let this man live in peace.
Thank you for sharing your story Saul, I was so relieved you beat the bureaucrats hands down...
Live your life,be happy Xx
So glad you won! All that stress!! What a beautiful home; at one with nature. And you obviously live your beautiful dogs. Take care and thank you so much for sharing this part if your life; you are so inspiring.
Wonderful story, Saul. Your adventure on Rayn Island is a true inspiration. Best of everything to you and your puppy! ❤️
love this guy and everything he is about and as far as counsel it seems like someone decided down the line that they didn't want him living there and I'm glad he won his appeal. Anytime a property can be saved then that's awesome especially dating back that far💖What a peaceful life living there would be❤❤❤
He owns the bloody property on your request! Leave the man alone! Bloody bureaucrats! They can never figure out what they want.
Yes, and even when are wrong, they are always right. Wich is authoritarianism.
What a beautiful space. I hope you can stay there. You are using the land properly.
Lovely gentleman & so uplifting that he won his fight to keep his sovereignty & his stunning homestead. 🙏♥️☮😉
What an inspirational man! A classic tale of David versus goliath, the establishment versus the man, the eco warrior. Truly amazing message to us all.
I’m impressed how positive he remained despite some old farts potentially evicting him, great inspiration.
It’s hard to give up the comfort of city life since that’s all I’ve known, does anyone know how hard is it to get planning permission for a mobile home on my own plot of land within England/Scotland?
Get some chickens, then you have a reason to stay there. You can say it's a working farm and you have to stay there to look after the animals 😊
the old farts want to remove excess.
@@SamSitar The old facts are the excess. They cannot stand creative clever people, because they will never be that 😏
What a great and inspirational guy. Council's doing what they do best in trying to destroy free enterprise.
Great job on the house. I hope that Saul gets to stay , he deserves to.
What a beautiful island and a beautiful person! Stunning bone structure and I love the androgynous vibe ( reminds me a little of Bowie) . Glad everything turned out ok with the local authority.
?
What an inspiring story! Made up for Saul and his family
What a great insight! A very friendly guy with a great dream of living off grid. Thanks for sharing the story
I don’t even have a corporate job & I wish I could do that😩🇨🇦
What an inspiration he is and how strange that someone only doing good and improving life ,causing no one harm and yet they are trying to make his life hard .Give the man a break , found myself chuckling in disbelief when he was told to put the warning notice up himself because of covid , you couldn't write it 🤔😂
So glad you won the appeals ..so people are not satisfied in life unless they are picking on someone doing no harm...ever consider suing them for mental , physical and financial distress? Cheers from 🇨🇦
P.s you should check that place out with a metal detector
What a wonderful person. I'm so glad that it all worked out for him. It's a very beautiful place.
What a genuinely nice lovely human being fantastic attitude to whatever comes his way he's done wonders so he can live a peaceful clean good life why can't people ie the authorities just leave him alone and let him be he's harming absolutely nothing and nobody such a nice man
Looks fantastic. I could live there easy. Congrats!
Im looking for an island now
I'd love to live there.
I’m so touched and inspired by this video! What a marvellous human!
Such a good documentary, never heard of this director before and can’t wait to see what he makes next
Lol sure…
I would absolutely need and love something like that. Well done.. leave this guy alone. He's not hurting anything.
Not even hurting the hornet.
I so, so happy for this gentleman.I live close to the canal, and I do understsnd his love for the nature and ecosistem around it....much respect.
Eye opening and a great piece of work shining a light on a different way of living.
Power to him. Balls to bureaucracy.! 👊
So pleased you got a great outcome hopefully now you can live your life in peace and harmony. x
Great video, so glad it worked out for you Saul! 👏👏👏
I loved this. And I’m so glad that it has a happy ending. This story left an impression on me. In the beginning he put in the work, and the outcome was that the place didn’t need daily upkeep! And I loved what he said at the end. Don’t be put off pursuing your dreams. He was an all around healthier happier person living this way. We all need to get back to the garden
So glad to finish the story with a satisfying ending.
I love how and where you live. A beautiful place hope you can stay and would love to see more vids on this. A lovely spirit and dog to keep company plus a beautiful head of silver platinum hair!
The beauty of simplicity is greatly overlooked! 😊
Just caught this video, what a story! David and Goliath comes to mind. I admire your fortitude and resilience Saul. Well done for battling through the emotional stress, may you continue to live on your island of paradise for many years to come.
Idea to gather history of usage. Try sweeping the island with a metal detector? The artifacts found are likely to tell a story.
What a beautiful place to live. He has transformed the home and area. I am so happy he can stay on the island. He worked so hard. Thank you for sharing this video. It was so enjoyable.
Authorities Authorities Authorities!!! Everywhere 😌
I hope and pray Saul stay there. Much luck and strength for you on the case.
Looks like a peaceful soul.....Mr. Saul Mahoney
That's such a great story, you're living the dream, glad things worked out, all the best for the future!😁✌🇬🇧
Good on you for doing your homework hun. I'm so happy you won against the olè snooty city council. They think everyone should live paying a huge electric & gas bills like they do for their old run down 8 bdrm & bath homes that they bought for £1.8M or £2M in a gated community.
What your doing, collections of water, sun, composting, & not using pesticides, is what we all should be doing. It would be a better place in this messed up world. If kids nowadays lost power for one weekend they would be panicking & having a melt down bc they wouldn't no what to do. (So I'm deeply sorry if I hurt your feelings, not really. Grown-up & quit thinking that life revolves around you bc it doesn't.)
Best wishes to you sir & God bless,
Chris
Don't blame the kids if that's all they know. It's adults that create that technology environment.
Congrats on winning the appeal!
I’m a english girl living in New Zealand on my farm that I saved up for 30yrs to buy. To all of the people in the comments section that have raved about how you shouldn’t pay council taxes etc I would like to say you have no clue. I have cattle, chickens,quail ,dogs,pet possums & other native birds & animals I care for. I run my farmhouse & troughs on rainwater tanks , I have internet & electricity that is really expensive & a data cap. I choose to live alone on a 12km dirt road a long way from towns. If I hurt myself I would need a medi vac. I own my land so therefore I pay rates. The council has no recycling, no tarmac roads,no streetlights etc. rates are high but it’s my choice. I leave the farm every 6 weeks to travel to town, I hate it. My companions are my animals. I cut firewood 12months of the year, I cut trees, cut into 12in lengths,de bark then axe into smaller pieces, I then stack & dry. I make rat/stoat boxes for traps. I have a veg garden & orchard. I am 57 & 50kilos. I can look after myself but...I pay my dues. I am not delusional to think I should just take & not give back. I have a monthly donation to guide dogs NZ,30yrs. I will probably gift my farm to them as I have no family here. I wouldn’t think it ok to drink a bottle of wine then drive without being pulled for dui. Laws apply, no matter how you choose to live. People refusing to acknowledge the laws of the lands obviously don’t actually live how we do. Quit inciting violence & go back to your underfloor heating & shopping centre lives. We choose this but are not idiots, quit thinking we are.
I'm glad you won your case. Good on you mate. I'm looking forward for such lifestyle 🙏
Well done, looks great. We need more of this in this country.
Ask you to occupy empty buildings and then once you get it fixed up, trying to reclaim, that's criminal.
Wow this was absolutely incredible. So insightful, feel very inspired. ✨🙏🏼
Did anybody see the Cannabis plant in the tomato house lol
So sorry that you have to go through that and all the stress it put on you! 😢
Such a beautiful story and an inspiration.
I want to do that too, but in a tropical country, near the beach. 💜
Awesome! You made it! Lovely plants n fruits you have planted 👍
Wonderful news!! Very happy for you. Keep being you!! 🙏👍🏻
Glad you came through the ordeal and are able to move on.
I am from the USA and it seems the ONLY time I hear someone say "The Council" it's The Council pulling some ridiculous regulations out of their arses and being entirely unreasonable to a homeowner.
Yeah they are nasty I've never met a nice council employee
Yup you have it spot on! I’m from Ireland and live in the US now, a similar thing would be what people here call “the City”… we were installing solar panels and needed SO much involvement from the City…same crap, different name!
@@elainedrummond3948 And in France... My God. They think they are God or something, deciding how people must live their lives, even in their own land...
This property belongs to this man, he is entitled to do what he likes with it. If there was any objection to the usage - that should have been presented to him prior to the purchase. This is the reason why whenever you are thinking of living off grid Check every single minute detail, get everything agreed and get everything in writing from the Council before going ahead with any purchase. All to often a Solicitor will say the papers are in order, only for you to be in trouble and uprooted later on down the line.
Did you read the comment from "oldmanonamission"? Smart guy! I heard of a guy who couldn't get permission to build a tiny house but got permission to build a 2-car garage and a big house. He built the garage, moved in, and then just "changed his mind about building" the big house" 🙂
I'm so happy he was able to win his case we're all working so hard to just manage our own lives without having the government tell us what to do all the time I live off-grid as well I'm in the United States of America Tennessee I will be 68 years old next month I'm a woman by myself working hard just to grow my own food and live the way I want to live so so happy and congratulations to him for being able to keep his land it was a great story for everyone who wants to get away from to control.
What an incredible and inspirational man!!! Great film! x
Beautiful property and beautiful dogs. Good luck 🤞 and have a beautiful life.
That man has such a cute doggo omg the doggy is the star of this story but the man is a legend too. But omg I love doggos! They make me so so happy
Love this ❤️ this is the future!
Ah, what a victory, I just heard the rest, that you won! Good for you!
Great win. I wonder if utility companies like power & water applied pressure, neither would like missing out on their take.
I want to live like this. Peaceful.
Doggie! Part 2 and 3 suggestions… was Mica found on the island? What is she? The most interesting fallow up is telling about the residents of the island. It bothers me when you see random people taking ownership of an area when it’s obvious that area has an established local people. I could be wrong but Saul comes off as a person who doesn’t disrespect the local people. Let’s hear what the locals have to say. I stand behind the welfare of the native people. If they want Saul to stay then that should have weight in the decision making. I am Mexican and Filipino, both of my people have been victimized and push aside. If Saul can enhance the lives of others there, then right on.
You have a beautiful life, and a lovely husky. I'm so glad you won your case. Bless you..
What revolting verminous jobsworths this council are. They should be in court for pointless use of public funds, and for harassment of a thoroughly nice bloke trying to live quietly, peacefully and honestly. Through a pandemic too; just utterly disgusting. He clearly wouldn't do this, but I would be finding a way to sue them so this kind of thing doesn't happen to anybody else. I simply can't see why this was taken so far.
He should start a CZcams channel about living on the island I would definitely watch
What island? He lives in Leicester, it’s a huge city. He has neighbours & can travel to anywhere in England within minutes ,he’s in suburbia, he’s calling the area an island but its not,he walked to the barges with his dogs in the video..I have a river boundary on my farm, I don’t say I live on a island.
Glad he likes it of course. I would have a problem with the rats and the generally scruffy level of existence.
Rats can be anywhere
I can put money on it that some one wanted there wanted to own it and tried there hardest to get it.
Fair play to you and wishing you an amazing future in you lovely home.
Great vid👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thank God I found you hey !! Friend of 30 years owns his own land being kicked off for living there , Your info has given us plenty to go on, you should have the right just on your human rights to live how you need to
Great little story, thank you!
Great story man and congrats on winning your case. Seems obvious don't it? Keep up the good work and good luck on your business! (saw the Zak Wylde guitar there, proves you have a connection to art and good taste!)
Glad to hear you won Saul! Thats life, sometimes very trying, I am sure it makes us all into stronger happier souls. John Horgan
He keeps saying “we”. Does he mean he and the dogs?
This was amazing such I different way of living which I think we probably all need a taste of
Amazing how the council simply think they can take ownership of any land.. Ask them to provide a paper trail 🤔
He has a lot on his side to keep his home but I don’t live in England so I don’t know how tough it is there for off gridders
What a amazing story thanks for sharing
Saul and I live in the same city, I must find this treasure he calls home
So glad this turned out!