My home with 25ft shark sticking out the roof was banned from Airbnb – but I think I’ve found planning loophole

A HOMEOWNER whose house has a giant fibreglass shark jutting out of the roof says he’s found a loophole after being barred from renting the property on Airbnb. Dr Magnus Hanson-Heine – whose house has a 25ft nose-diving shark protruding from it – claims the ban should be lifted because it’s public art. Dr Magnus Hanson-Heine was banned from listing his iconic property on AirBnB Credit: Hyde News & Pictures The quantum chemist believes the giant fibreglass installation should be considered public art Credit: SWNS The quirky house in Headlington, Oxfordshire – fondly known as the Shark House – was previously rented out for five years on AirBnB before the council got wind of it. The quantum chemist is now urging planners to permit short-term lets again to celebrate 40 years since the shark’s arrival, installed by his late father Bill Heine. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! The American-born journalist built the fibreglass sea creature without official planning permission back in the 1960s after moving to Oxford to study. The shark took three months to construct but no one knew where it would end up until it was relocated to New High Street on a tractor trailer. Bill Heine, who built the shark, moved to the UK in the 1960s to study at Oxford University Credit: SWNS Engineers and inspectors have maintained that the installation is indeed structurally sound Credit: SWNS Magnus currently rents the property out for £4000 a month Credit: SWNS Oxford Council said the property should not be exempt from the short-term rental ban Credit: SWNS A tense six-year planning row erupted, with Oxford Council opposing the installation, claiming it was a danger to the public. However, engineers and inspectors said the protruding shark was structurally sound. Magnus bought the house off Bill in 2016 to preserve the shark and the property quickly became an iconic AirBnB attraction until the council asked him to end short-term stays in March last year. However Magnus’ conviction that the shark should remain a public attraction has not wilted. Most read in Money “The previous planning inspector accepted that the Shark House was an appropriate location for the use and found no evidence that it had caused problems for neighbours or highway safety,” he said. “I think there is a strong case for treating the Shark House a little differently from an ordinary rental property. “It is obviously a house, but it’s also one of Oxford’s best-known pieces of public art.” He added that when the property was on AirBnB, people would rent out the extraordinary house and make an occasion of it – whether that be for birthdays, reunions or visits to Oxford. Magnus believes there is a ‘strong case’ for treating the Shark House differently to other properties Credit: SWNS He has insisted that the installation should be considered ‘public art’ Credit: SWNS The Shark House has since been listed as a longer term rental at £4000 a month, following the ban on short-term rentals due to Oxford’s housing crisis. In the listing, Magnus wrote: “The Headington Shark House isn’t just accommodation; it’s a dive into a piece of living art history. ”Featuring the awe-inspiring 25ft fiberglass and steel shark sculpture that spectacularly ‘crashes’ through the roof, this Victorian marvel offers a one-of-a-kind stay.” Reflecting on the future of the property, Magnus said he is now seeking “professional conservation advice” and potential grants. He said: “It’s still early days, but depending on what is needed and the level of public interest, some form of fundraising or crowdfunding might eventually form part of that too.” A lack of residential homes in the UK’s “most unaffordable city” has remained the council’s primary reason for the ban. It added that there are nearly 3,500 households on the waiting list for social housing in Oxford. One councillor said previously: “Where properties have changed from being residential homes to becoming short let businesses without planning approval, we do take enforcement action. “We live in one the least affordable places for housing in the UK. “There are nearly 800 properties let out entirely as short lets in Oxford and we need those for people to live in and not as holiday accommodation.” Comment now