TV couple who quit the rat race to raise their children in a field are ordered to pack up their countryside dream after losing planning battle for a caravan, pond and play equipment

A couple who boasted about leaving the rat race to raise their children in the countryside have been ordered to pack up some of their rural dreams after falling out with town hall planners.

In 2020, Thomas and Jenny Jackson proudly told how they gave up their careers to give their children a taste of the Good Life on a 13-acre estate in rural Somerset.

The land, called Hazelwood Farm but officially known in council records as Plot 0096, featured an outdoor kitchen, bar and lounge area with wicker sofas.

Thomas, 48, and Jenny, 47, planted fruit and vegetables, apples for cider, grapes for wine and hops for beer, and set up a ‘forest school’ for local children.

Their efforts to build a simpler life in the lands north of Bath were featured on Channel 4’s Britain’s Best Parents.

But now their rural idyll has collided with the intransigence of local council planners.

Bath and North East Somerset Council officials took enforcement action in 2024, claiming the family did not have permission to use designated farmland for ‘residential’ and ‘leisure’ purposes.

Planners objected to the family placing a caravan, building outbuildings, installing a pond and erecting play equipment for their children.

This month a Government inspector rejected the family’s objections to the enforcement notice, giving them four months to remove unauthorized structures and clear the land of debris.

The decision was a dramatic reversal for the couple, who once said they had no regrets about swapping their daily grind for open spaces, cooking over a fire and self-sufficiency.

Mr Jackson, 42, and Mrs Jackson, 41, sold their home in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, after leaving jobs as a corporate sales account manager and teacher.

They bought land near Bath and rented a house eight miles from their old town.

Mr Jackson said at the time: ‘This is something we’ve been thinking about for a while and one day we decided to go for it.

‘Some people might think we’re a bit crazy or crazy, but kids are the perfect age to enjoy it too and we thought we’d be crazy not to give them the experience as much as we could.

‘They’re always outside digging holes, cooking over fires and climbing trees instead of being inside on the computer all day, and they love it as much as we do. Life is for living and I don’t miss the daily hustle and bustle at all.

‘Yes, our income is down by around 50 per cent, but we are saving money in many ways, such as upcycling, making our own furniture, growing our own food and brewing our own beer.

‘We don’t drink coffee on the way to work and we’ve saved a lot of money on cinema visits and meals out. It’s a simple life really but we love it and so do the kids.

‘We had to sell our house and are now renting but to be honest we’re enjoying being mortgage-free. ‘We used the money to buy land and hope to make some money this way in the future.’

Family’s rural idyll clashes with local council planners’ stubbornness

Family has four months to remove unauthorized structures and clear land of debris

Although the family did not live on the land full-time, Mr. Jackson did occasional consulting in addition to selling coal and nuts for oil.

The council argued that coal production amounted to an illegal change of use and that no planning permission had been obtained.

The couple claimed the charcoal and biochar (a type of charcoal made by heating organic material) were made from their woodland and formed part of their woodland management plan.

They also claimed that their work was compatible with Government-backed plans.

But planning inspector Siobhan Watson found the Jacksons had not proven the controversial activities could be considered legal.

A large coal furnace on the site was described as being of ‘industrial size’.

The Jacksons said the trailer on the property was used as a welfare unit, providing housing, recreation and cleaning for workers.

But the inspector said there was no concrete evidence about the farm workers, their duties, working hours or why the trailer was needed for such use.

Although the family did not live on the land full time, Mr. Jackson did occasional consulting work in addition to selling coal and nuts for oil.

City Hall photos showed beds made inside the caravan.

The couple said the overnight stay was linked to nocturnal charcoal making, but the inspector said they did not explain why it was necessary to sleep there.

The family’s previous introduction was also used in the case.

The inspector referred to an earlier Daily Mail article describing how children’s play equipment, including a treehouse, tire swings, football goals, trampoline and pizza oven, had been built on the site.

The Jacksons said the equipment was there to keep their children entertained while they worked.

Ms Watson ruled: ‘The council also says there are shelters, picnic tables and an outside toilet.

‘The appellants do not dispute that these were present at the time the notice was served and that some were still on the land.

‘However, parents say the equipment is there to entertain the children while they work in the field. However, play equipment is not agricultural, regardless of when children use it.’

The couple also failed to prove that a woodland shed had planning permission.

They acknowledged creating a pond, saying it supports biodiversity and environmental sustainability.

However, the inspector said they did not show that it was related to agriculture or forestry and ordered it to be filled and covered with grass.

He declined to comment when approached by Mr Jackson, other than to say he was considering ‘my next moves’.