Controversial ‘Shark House’ faces latest snag after council bans it from Airbnb

A controversial house with a huge shark crashing through its roof is facing a new battle with the local council.

The Shark House has been attracting attention since 1986 when Bill Heine constructed the massive sculpture without planning permission.

Bill died in 2019 and his son Magnus Hanson-Heine took over the property, having used Airbnb to let the property out as short term holiday accommodation for the last five years.

But the council has now ruled that the Shark House can no longer be used as a short term rental – and Magnus claims they’re using the property as a ‘test case’ to try and shut down Airbnbs in Oxford.

Magnus says he will fight the decision and says potential visitors should ‘come while you can’ to stay in the unique property.

He’s been ordered to stop using the home as a short term let by March 11 of next year – which he believes will hurt Oxford’s tourism economy.

Magnus explained: ‘The Shark House is a major tourist attraction, not just a regular family home.

‘It’s been a delight to be able to open it up to members of the public to celebrate it with us, and I will continue to do so for as long as I can.

‘I’ve yet to hear any complaints from our neighbours, even during the planning appeal, and the inspector found no such harm in his decision.

‘We have mostly had five star reviews from guests.

‘Certain elements of the council have just used this as an excuse to score some cheap political points by going after a local landmark at the expense of the public.

‘This does nothing meaningful to help people looking for homes, and after March all they will have done is to rob people who want to experience this piece of Oxford’s history from the inside.

‘Oxford’s tourism and accommodation sector will be significantly poorer for it.

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‘People shouldn’t simply comply with bureaucrats looking to make up and prosecute their own interpretations of the law by threatening people.

‘These are people’s homes and livelihoods, and if the council wants to control who can stay in them, then they should go and buy their own.

‘Short lets aren’t the cause of the housing crisis, and politicians using their existing failures as an excuse to grab for yet more personal power is a disgrace.’

Two years after it was originally built, Oxford City Council refused retrospective planning permission for the 25ft long steel and fibreglass sculpture.

But the family appealed, and eventually then-Secretary of State Michael Heseltine intervened to allow it to stay.

Magnus has appealed the ‘change of use’ decision with the National Planning Inspectorate and said it would remain open to visitors until he was forced to close.

The Airbnb has secured rave reviews from guests with a 4.86 rating out of five stars.

The listing states the house can sleep up to 10 people with prices for a two-night stay as much as £2,000.

Magnus also fears having the home added to a Heritage Asset Register could be ‘a stepping stone; towards getting it listed – meaning more planning controls.

Inclusion of a building or place on the register does not place any additional legal requirements on owners.

But Magnus said he was adamant he did not want it added to Oxford City Council’s list of important pieces of heritage.

He added: ‘My father always resisted giving any conclusive answer to the question what was the meaning of it.

‘It was designed to make people think for themselves, and decide for themselves what is art.

‘But it was anti-censorship in the form of planning laws specifically.’

Councillor Linda Smith, Oxford City Council’s cabinet member for housing said: ‘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.’

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