Man's Home is His Castle

(Via Hit & Run.)
A man in England wanted to build a castle in one of his fields but he didn't think the local council would let him.

Over the course of two years, he managed to secretly – and unlawfully – build the imposing mock Tudor structure in one of his fields, shielded behind a 40ft stack of hay bales covered by a huge tarpaulins.

Once it was finished, he and his family moved in and lived there for four years before finally revealing the development – complete with battlements and cannons – in August 2006. Mr Fidler claims that because the building has been there for four years with no objections, it is no longer illegal.

Of course the council doesn't agree. Since he skirted the rules, they want to tear it down. Now that building may not be to your taste (though I like it) but it's not an eyesore. The constructions looks sound enough and there's no mention of a safety risk. He built it in a field so it's not overshadowing his neighbors or anything like that. Why in the world would they not let him build it?

Charge the man a fine if you want to but don't tear it down! Honestly, isn't there a limit to how much authority we should let local boards have on what we'll do with our property? Doesn't ownership mean anything?
And maybe most importantly...how cheaply can I buy hay bales?