Martin Clunes loses planning battle with new travellers near Dorset home | Dorset
Earlier this month, Martin Clunes hit the red carpet alongside fellow stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in London for the UK premiere of Wuthering Heights.
On Thursday the actor was due to be in the less ostentatious surroundings of a borough hall in the English West Country to hear councilors rule against him over a long-running dispute with a family of recent travellers.
Dorset councilors have voted to allow Theo Langton and Ruth McGill to stay permanently in an estate below the home of Clunes, who won praise for his portrayal of the cruel Mr Earnshaw in Emerald Fennel’s hit re-imagining of Emily Brontë’s novel.
Langton and McGill have lived in the idyllic spot on the edge of the town of Beaminster for more than 20 years. The site includes a caravan, workshop and a mobile van that they use to travel to festivals and shows where their artwork, jewelery and metalwork are sold.
They described themselves as “new travellers” and made a request to Dorset council. permanent planning permission living on the site they own.
Clunes and his wife, television producer Philippa Braithwaite, have long argued that the couple have no right to live here and are not legally Travellers.
Over the years, accusations have also emerged that homes in Langton and McGill are having a detrimental impact on the countryside, and concerns that a lack of mains water could pose a health risk.
Clunes and Braithwaite attended the borough meeting in Dorchester on Thursday to hear from council officers and west and south ward committee members to make a decision in application.
Planning officer Bob Burden said the council was pleased Langton and McGill were Travelers, traveling around the country selling pieces they made on site. He also pointed out that the council was unable to find enough space for Gypsies and Travelers on the sites it owned and operated.
Burden said the impact on the landscape was negligible because the area was largely obscured by trees and the nearest properties were far enough away.
Clunes did not speak but his lawyer, John Steel KC, argued the pair were not “legal” Travelers and refused to accept other offers. He argued that allowing them to stay would set a precedent.
“Others will follow,” he said. “Others are waiting. The strong message will be that those with similar lifestyles can get through the planning process in Dorset.”
Two other neighbors spoke in objection. One said allowing the couple would open the doors to “many others.” Another said new camps were already being set up, including one running a foraging business in the forest.
However, support for the couple was higher. Langton has volunteered in the community over the years and they both run art workshops. The Rev Jonathan Herbert, vicar of Gypsies and Travelers in the diocese of Salisbury, said the couple’s off-grid, low-carbon lifestyle should be an example to all.
The couple’s manager, Simon Rushton, said the basis of the case was people’s right to lead different lives. “There is room for diversity in our societies,” he said.
A lengthy report into the saga touched on topics ranging from a list of West Country festivals the couple attended (including Glastonbury and Boomtown) to toilet regulations in the area (which included the use of coal and sawdust).
The votes in favor of Langton and McGill were accepted by seven votes to two. Following the meeting, Head of Public Affairs and Policy Abbie Kirkby said: Friends, Families and TravelersThe site, which works to end discrimination against Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, said there was a site shortage.
Kirkby said: “Gypsy and Traveler families across the country are facing an impossible choice: dwindling accommodation or long, costly and contentious planning battles that can last for years. This uncertainty takes a heavy toll on families trying to live safely and peacefully on the land they own.”
