Doc Martin star Martin Clunes loses four-year planning battle over Traveller site
Doctor Martin Star Martin Clunes has lost a four-year planning dispute to prevent a permanent Travelers site being built next door to his Dorset home.
Wuthering Heights The actor, along with several neighbors in Beaminster, had vociferously opposed the proposals put forward by Theo Langton and Ruth McGill.
The couple, who have lived in a 45ft x 16ft (13.7m x 4.9m) mobile home on their own land in Meerhay for a quarter of a century, had sought official planning permission to establish their permanent residence.
Originally Dorset Council officers had recommended the plans be approved when they are first presented to the west and south district planning committee in April 2025.
However, the decision was later postponed due to serious concerns about the potential risk of flooding in the proposed area.
A comprehensive flood risk assessment was subsequently carried out, ultimately concluding that any surface water flood risk was not deemed significant enough over the project’s estimated 100-year “life”.
As a result, the plans were brought back before the committee for final decision.
In a decisive vote, the committee approved the plans by seven votes to two, which included special conditions stipulated by planning officers.
These conditions specifically include that any alterations to the area are only permitted for the duration of Mr Langton and Ms McGill’s residence and must be completely removed within four months if they cease to reside permanently at the property.
And conditions will limit the number of residential caravans on the site to two.
Planning officer Bob Burden told the committee the council’s Gypsy liaison officer was satisfied the couple’s movements and attendance at festivals met the definition of Traveller.
He added: “There is a growing and significant unmet need for sites. We cannot find enough space for Gypsies and Travellers.”
Mr Burden said the impact on neighboring properties was limited and said: “In my view it is unacceptable that the privacy issues of this scheme have been overlooked.”
He added the permission would be limited to the use of the couple and added: “If the site ceased to be occupied, then the structures would need to be removed.”
John Steel KC, representing Clunes, said: “The applicants are not legal Travellers, but even assuming they were, they cannot refuse sites offered to them and at the same time they cannot benefit from Traveler policy exceptions.”
He added: “Others will follow, others are waiting, there is already evidence of this in the adjacent land.
“The strong message will be that those with similar lifestyles can get around the planning system in Dorset.”
Mr Steel continued: “Granting permanent planning permission would be illegal, would undermine planning policy and be completely unfair to law-abiding residents.”
Applicants’ representative Simon Rushton, who has lived in the area for 21 years, said they had received 47 letters of support, as well as those from the local town council.
Priest Jonathan Herbert said he supported the couple’s plans, adding that they “led a nomadic lifestyle.”
He said: “They are well known and respected among the new Traveler community and there is no doubt that they are the new Travellers.”
Councilor Craig Monks said: “I believe the officer’s recommendations provide local residents with certainty that this land will be used for a specific purpose, for specific people at a specific time.”
Clunes and his wife had previously made a submission to the committee expressing concerns about the proposals, including a suggestion by the council’s Gypsy liaison officer that Mr Langton and Ms McGill should be seen as “new age travellers”.
An officer’s report to the committee said: “It is very clear that they follow and are part of the new age traveler community and have been for many years.
“Although they are not ethnic gypsies, I am extremely pleased that they are new age travellers, and have lots of friends and support in the new Traveler community.”
In response, Clunes wrote: “Just because the applicants visit music and other festivals every year to sell things and help set them up, it cannot be concluded that they are people with a nomadic lifestyle.
“This means that stallholders at such festivals, as well as many, if not all, passengers traveling with festival organisers, retailers and bands would be classed as gypsies and Travelers under the planning definition, although this is clearly not the case.”
