A man who declared independence from Guernsey in a planning dispute has been given a reprieve by the court amid his ongoing legal battle.
Steve Ogier – the self-styled ‘King of Everland’ – appeared before the Royal Court in a civil hearing after ignoring a planning injunction which had ordered him to remove vehicles from his land, and to stop sleeping there.
He was given a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months – with the Judge urging him to use that time to resolve the matter once and for all.
Mr Ogier declared independence from Guernsey nearly a decade ago as he fought to be allowed to live on land he owns at Ruette du Frocq in the Castel.
That independence has never been recognised by the courts, despite Mr Ogier declaring himself King of his own nation, and flying his own flag from his land.
What is known as ‘Everland’ is a parcel of agricultural land bought in 2011.
That year, Mr Ogier did secure planning permission to use two bunkers on the site for storage. That planning permission was renewed again in 2016.
However, in 2018, when Mr Ogier enquired about using the land for residential use he was told it was unlikely to be approved.
Mr Ogier then fell foul of planning regulations on numerous occasions after removing soil from the land to level it and keeping numerous vehicles there – including ones he slept in.
The latest planning breach came after Mr Ogier ignored an injunction compelling him to remove numerous vehicles from his land.
He has permission to store one vehicle there, but he currently has a caravan, a mobile box trailer, a porta cabin, and an unspecified number of other vehicles.
A truck body is believed to be on the land but ‘out of sight’, and Mr Ogier has not complied with an order to remove solar panels that he installed on one of his bunkers.
Judge Fionnuala Connolly said ignoring the planning injunction was a “serious and flagrant breach”.
She acknowledged that Mr Ogier has made efforts to resolve his ongoing matters, but said she had to hand down a sentence that reflected the seriousness of the breach.
Judge Connolly also referenced matters in Mr Ogier’s personal life which she had taken into consideration, including concerns over his deteriorating mental health.
Mr Ogier was given a three month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Judge Connolly told Mr Ogier the three month sentence “reflects the seriousness of the breach of the planning injunction”.
She told Mr Ogier that he needs to use the 18 months that his prison sentence is suspended for to resolve the ongoing matters.
“I strongly exhort you to work with the planning authorities,” she said directly to Mr Ogier.
