Beaulieu: Residents of Britain’s most expensive village outraged as estate car park approved

One of Britain’s most famous properties has received planning permission for a new car park within a protected national park area, despite serious local objections.

Beaulieu Estate has been given the green light for a 46-space facility near the famous motor museum.

The decision sparked outrage among villagers who described the project as a “Trojan Horse”.

Residents of Beaulieu, recently described as Britain’s most expensive village, fear the approval would “set a precedent” for the land to pursue further development near ancient woodland.

The proposed 46-space car park is located just meters away from the existing 1,000-space car park owned by the Beaulieu Estate within the New Forest National Park in Hampshire.

Locals fear the private estate owned by Lord Montagu is orchestrating a “developmental slowdown” in a bid to “commercialise” the famous natural landscape.

The Montagu family has owned the Beaulieu Estate for over 400 years, while the village itself has an average house price in excess of £2 million.

The agricultural land at the heart of the successful planning application is currently used by an education trust to park around 10 vehicles at a time.

A gravel-surface parking lot will soon be added to the 9,000-acre Beaulieu Estate to be used as additional parking for events.

A gravel track will also be laid between the existing track and the new parking lot.

The car park, now a pasture, is used by the CET (Countryside Education Trust) Treehouses charity, which operates a treehouse study center and events venue.

Alan Titchmarsh opened the educational treehouse in 2008 on the grounds of Beaulieu Manor near the National Motor Museum.

At a New Forest National Park Authority (NFNPA) planning committee meeting, the estate’s representative, Rachel Pearson, told members the car park would help the education center survive.

He said: “The need for additional parking is real.

“There is no suitable alternative within the Tree House area without damaging the ancient, natural forest area.

“The proposals will not lead to any material concentration of the study centre, and its core educational function of providing rural education to all will remain.”

Wealthy residents of the New Forest attempted to stop the “developmental slowdown” they believed the Estate owners were implementing.

Beaulieu resident Stephen Rigby branded the app a “Trojan horse”.

The 62-year-old business consultant said: “We’ll have to wait and see if they really just use it for educational purposes, which is fine, but that wasn’t our main concern.

“Our main concern was whether this sets a precedent and whether there is potential growth for other applications in the field.

“No one has a problem with the charity, it is an exemplary charity.”

Mr Rigby said the limited number of parking spaces was designed for people who could not walk the several hundred meters uphill in the National Motor Museum’s 1,000-space car park.

“Our concern wasn’t whether it would just be used for treehouses; we’re worried about whether there’s going to be a creep, if there’s going to be extra weddings, hopefully the maximum stays at 12.”

Mr Rigby said the Hides Field land where the car park is located was used for crops and grazing “going back 500 years”.

He believes the property has a “proven track record of developmental change in the area”, including a 4×4 track, ropes centre, and “multiple commercialization initiatives”.

In response, Ms Pearson said the number of weddings held at the property was limited to 12 a year with a capacity of 100 people and that they were a “vital fundraiser” for the charity.

Councilor David Harrison, who sat on the planning committee during the debate, said the plans had been subject to a “high level of scrutiny”.

The Liberal Democrat councilor for Totton South in Hampshire said: “Current parking provisions and accessibility regulations are inappropriate and could be a barrier.

“This addresses the issue of whether it is absolutely necessary. It supports the current use of the study centre.”

Members approved the plans and agreed to include a requirement that the car park revert to farmland if the education trust leaves the site.