Thu. Jan 23rd, 2025
alert-–-iconic-house-with-25ft-shark-sticking-out-of-its-roof-goes-up-for-rent-–-after-the-owner-was-banned-from-using-the-‘piece-of-living-art’-as-an-airbnbAlert – Iconic house with 25ft shark sticking out of its roof goes up for rent – after the owner was banned from using the ‘piece of living art’ as an Airbnb

The iconic house with a 25ft shark sticking out of the roof is now available to rent for £4,000 a month, after the council banned it from being a holiday let.

Owner Dr Magnus Hanson-Heine lost a planning appeal to Oxford Council, who banned the house from being an Airbnb-type rental.

The famous four-bedroom four-bathroom property in Headington, Oxford, also known as The Shark House, is now listed on Rightmove and is available to rent for £4,000 per month.

In accordance with council rules, the property was listed as a long-term let at an initial price of £6,000 per month.

A week later, on December 23, 2024, the price was reduced by £2,000. 

The Shark House will be available from March 5, 2025, and is described on the listing with estate agent Hamptons as ‘synonymous with the Oxford skyline’.

Now officially on the market, it boasts 1700 sq ft of internal living space, a fully equipped kitchen, public transport links and off-street parking.

Three of its four bedrooms come with en suite bathrooms and the property features both a garden and a vibrant conservatory already brimming with plants.

For the last five years, Dr Hanson-Heine – who inherited the famous building from his father after his death in 2019 – has been letting the property out on Airbnb for short-term stays.

His late father Bill Heine had initially constructed the sculpture without official planning permission from Oxford City Council in 1986, on the 41st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.

A six-year planning battle ensued which only ended when the then Environment Secretary Michael Heseltine made a personal visit to the house and gave permission for the structure to stay.

It became one of the most famous and photographed homes in Oxford after the Jaws-like structure was erected to protest against warfare and bombing.

At the end of last year, Dr Hanson-Heine was informed that he must stop using the property as a short-term let by March 11, 2025 – a move which he felt would hurt Oxford’s tourism industry overall.

For several years, he has rented out the house to tourists, with a single night costing more than £1,000 during peak periods.

The Airbnb listing reads: ‘The Shark House stands as a testament to creativity, freedom and the voice against conformity. 

‘Erected by my late father, Bill Heine, and sculptor John Buckley, it sparked a national debate on public art and personal expression.

‘The Headington Shark House isn’t just accommodation; it’s a dive into a piece of living art history.

‘It invites you to ponder its deeper meanings or simply enjoy its whimsical defiance.’

The shark sculpture is an impressive 25ft of steel and fiberglass which ‘crashes’ through the roof.

With the help of a crane, it was installed head first one morning at dawn.

It was, according to Bill Heine, his way of expressing how someone can feel ‘totally impotent and ripping a hole in their roof out of a sense of anger and desperation’.

Dr Hanson-Heine has previously hit back at the council for banning the property as a short-term let.

He told The Telegraph: ‘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 rob people who want to experience this piece of Oxford’s history from the inside.’

However, the council firmly defended its decision.

It said an increase in renting out entire properties for all or most of the year has resulted in the ‘loss of valuable homes in the UK’s most unaffordable city’.

It added that there are nearly 3,500 households on the waiting list for social housing in Oxford.

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 of 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.

‘The uncontrolled rise in the number of short lets deprives our city of much-needed homes and can cause misery in quiet neighbourhoods.’

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