‘Shark house' gets heritage status despite owner's protest

'The Headington Shark' has been added to a list of cultural assets despite protests by the owner - who says it was built to defy planning laws.

Bill Heine installed the fibreglass statue by sculptor John Buckley on top of his property in secret in 1986.

He then battled Oxford City Council for retrospective planning permission, which was granted in 1992 following an appeal.

Bill died aged 74 in 2019, and son Magnus Hanson-Heine, 34, reignited his late dad's battle with the authorities.

Magnus told them not to add it to its Heritage Asset Register, saying it was “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.

Watch: Renowned local figure responsible for Headington Shark dies

Magnus said he is adamant he does not want the house added to Oxford City Council's list of important pieces of heritage.

He told Oxford Mail: "I'll be watching very closely. I think it's objectionable and against the symbolism of the house."

Despite his fears at a recent city planning meeting, planners voted to add the landmark to the Oxford Heritage Asset Register.

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Speaking earlier this year, Magnus 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.

“I see what they are trying to do and I’m sure it’s very well-intentioned. But they don’t view it now as what it is. They have not truly consulted in that sense."

Magnus, who works at Nottingham University, also said the consultation form asking for responses made it very difficult to dispute anything.

He said: “The nomination forms have been, let’s say, lacking in that they do not really provide an option to object to the listing for listing’s sake.

"They ask questions like ‘do you think it adds value to the area’ which most people would say, yes it does.

"They have not given the option to say no. They have not truly consulted in that sense."

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Bill Heine was a broadcaster for BBC Radio Oxford for more than 30 years, hosting his last regular show in 2015.

He died two years after being diagnosed with a terminal form of leukaemia.

The Headington Shark joins 16 other sites, including Temple Cowley Library, the Crown and Thistle Pub and The Westgate Hotel.

The 'shark house' is rented out as a holiday let on AirB&B and attracts hundreds of visitors each year.