The owner of a world-famous Airbnb with a 25-foot-tall shark sticking out of its roof has slammed a local decision to force a closure.
UK resident Dr Magnus Hansson-Heine has lost a planning appeal from Oxford Council to ban the use of short-term accommodation. Quirky property known as Shark House.
He claimed he had not received a single complaint from neighbors and was being targeted by the city council as a “test case” to shut down AirBnb in the city.
And he is now urging visitors to “come while you can” and vowing to continue “as long as we can.”
Hanson-Heine's father, Bill Heine, originally built the sculpture in 1986 without formal planning permission from Oxford City Council.
For the past five years, he has been renting out the property for short-term stays on Airbnb, but received a closure notice from the city council after members of the public complained about the change from residential to short-term rental. .
Mr Hanson-Heine has now been told he must cease using the property as a short-term rental by March 11, 2025, which he says will be a blow to Oxford's tourism industry as a whole. I'm thinking.
“Shark House is more than just a home, it's a major tourist attraction. It's great to be able to open it up to the public and celebrate together, and I plan to continue doing so for as long as I can.” he said.
“Even while the plans are under appeal, we have not yet heard any complaints from neighbors. The inspector found no such harm in his decision,” he continued, adding at the same time that guests have not heard of any complaints. Most of them received 5-star ratings.” his property.
“Some factions in Congress are simply using this as an excuse to score cheap political points by pursuing local landmarks at the expense of the public,” he said.
“This does nothing to help people looking for a home. All they will have done since March is deprive people who want to experience a piece of Oxford’s history from the inside.
“Oxford’s tourism and accommodation sector will suffer significantly.”
Hansson-Heine called the inspector general's decision “unfortunate” and suggested that under the current guidelines, “advertising on platforms such as Airbnb does not necessarily qualify as a change of use.”
“It is a valid use of a home for people to rent and sleep in it, and the C3 class includes a wide range of uses, including many work-from-home businesses. “They're interpreting the law to intimidate people who shouldn't obey,” he said.
“These are people’s homes and places to live, and if councils want to control who can live there, they should go and buy their own homes.”
He also criticized politicians who “use past failures as excuses to seize even more personal power.” He called the move “disgraceful” and added that short-term rentals “are not the cause of the housing crisis.”
“I think my message will be, 'Come while you still can,'” he added.
Two years after it was first built, Oxford City Council refused retrospective planning permission until the then Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Heseltine, intervened and allowed it to continue.
Bill Heine died in 2019 at the age of 74, and his son Hanson Heine protested against the addition to the list of cultural heritage sites, reigniting the battle between his late father and the authorities.
In the latest row, Mr Hanson-Heine has appealed a “change of use” decision to the National Planning Inspectorate, saying it will continue to welcome visitors until it is forced to close.
Over the years, the facility has also become a tourist attraction in Oxford, with visitors coming to watch “Jaws”-like creatures crash headlong through the roof.
It has a high rating of 4.86 from guests.
The home sleeps up to 10 people and costs $2,537 for two nights, according to listing information.
Councilor Linda Smith, Oxford City Council's cabinet member for housing, stressed: “If a property is converted from residential to short-term rental business without planning approval, we will take enforcement action.”
“We live in one of the cheapest places to live in the UK, and although there are nearly 800 properties in Oxford that are fully let as short-term rentals, we do not offer them as holiday accommodation. We need properties for people to live in.”
Mr Hanson-Heine has previously spoken of his concerns that adding the house to the Heritage Register would mean it would become a “stepping stone” to the listing, meaning it would be subject to increased planning controls.
Including a building or place on the register does not impose any additional legal requirements on the owner.
However, Mr Hanson-Heine said he was adamant he did not want the building to be added to Oxford City Council's list of significant heritage sites.
“My father always resisted giving a definitive answer to the question of what it meant,” he said. “It was designed to allow people to think for themselves and decide for themselves what art is.
“But it was anti-censorship in the form of specifically planning legislation.”
