Martin Clunes has won his fight against plans for a site to be built next to his £5 million home - following fears it could turn into a hub for travellers.
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it → win → travellers
The Doc Martin actor will be breathing a sigh of relief that the latest application has been withdrawn after he lost a four-year battle earlier this year against another set of neighbours, New Age Travellers Theo Langton and his partner Ruth McGill, who were given permission to turn their temporary mobile home site into a permanent one.
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who → breathe → one
A second set of neighbours on the other side of Mr Clunes' farm, Andy Cream and Grace Burger, then applied to Dorset Council to set up an eco-business selling fruit and veg boxes direct to the local area via e-bike.
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set → apply → bike
It would have meant building a storage barn, two polytunnels for crops and a greenhouse for what they described as 'an important part of a local food system that improves the food security, carbon footprint, health and biodiversity of the local area'.
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that → mean → area
The plans had the full backing of Mr Langton, who is a passionate advocate of food security in the Beaminster area.
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who → have → area
But Mr Clunes, 64, feared the plans were a prelude to the couple setting up a permanent home on the land just 150 yards from his farm.
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couple → fear → farm
He lashed out in an astonishing letter to the council, which seemed to take aim at Mr Langton and the decision to grant him a permanent traveller site.
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which → lash → site
Martin Clunes and his wife Philippa Braithwaite are seen attending a Dorset Council meeting at County Hall in Dorchester earlier this year
Mr Cream and Ms Burger's plans (seen here) included a storage barn, two polytunnels for crops and a greenhouse
View showing Martin Clunes's house at the bottom and Theo Langton's new woodland travellers' site at the middle top of the image
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plans → see → image
It remains to be seen if Mr Cream and Ms Burger will come back for a fourth submission, as they also withdrew two other planning applications, one of which Mr Clunes' TV producer wife Philippa Brathwaite complained about.
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wife → remain → which
The first was filed last July at the same time as an application to build a temporary agricultural workers dwelling, both were withdrawn after complaints from Mrs Braithwaite and others.
They then resubmitted an application in April solely for a farm, which divided opinion in the area and over 100 locals submitted letters, and they withdrew on Monday.
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they → file → Monday
With a heavy dose of sarcasm in his letter at the way Dorset Council deals with planning issues, Mr Clunes said: 'It seems that this application is the same as the original one made by this couple except that in this they no longer state that it is essential to their plans that they live at the site.
'
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they → deal → site
I think that it is safe to assume, given the flimsy nature of their business plan that living at the site is their ultimate goal.
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living → think → site
From personal experience my advice to these applicants would be to carry on and do whatever they like on the land they have bought.
'
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they → carry → land
They can ignore any rulings or conditions applied by Dorset County Council as they will not enforce them.
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they → ignore → them
Theo Langton and Ruth McGill were granted permission to make their encampment a permanent site and add two spaces for travelling caravans so family and friends can visit
'
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family → grant → caravans
After a few years of inactivity and a number of changes of the planning committee as their case is kicked down the line the planning officer and committee will circle their wagons and hand hold the applicants through an acceptance of whatever work or additions they have made to the land in the face of any objection raised by their neighbours and without any consultation with anyone affected by their actions.
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they → kick → actions
In this way the council will seem to have not needed to enforce what they had not managed to enforce.
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they → seem → what
At no point will Dorset County Council address, acknowledge or apologise for any lack of action on their part as they are answerable to no one and operate without regulation.
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they → address → regulation
In their piety the planning committee will say that each application is judged on its own merits, this is nonsense, precedent is everything.
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precedent → say → merits
When the first application was submitted, Mrs Braithwaite wrote a stern objection claiming that the barn may ultimately be converted into a house and spoke of the long-running issues they'd had with people living in the woods and on Mr Langton's site called Wintergreen Barn.
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they → submit → site
'The applicants say they want to live there permanently to take care of the vegetables which seems a roundabout way to get round the planning system so they can eventually convert the barn to a house,' wrote Mrs Braithwaite.
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Braithwaite → say → house
'We have had so many years of battles with people in the area living in the woods above the site and at Wintergreen Barn; people come and go all the year round and live there when they want a place to stay - my feeling is the same will happen on this site.'
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same → have → site
She goes onto complain that the area is prone to flooding and the entrance to the site is on a blind bend, which 'would be lethal to have bicycles, trucks and vans coming in and out to deliver vegetables.'
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bicycles → go → vegetables
Martin Clunes pictured near his home in Beaminster in Dorset
Mrs Braithwaite was skeptical that deliveries would be strictly on e-bikes as that is 'obviously completely impractical in winter'.
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that → picture → winter
She signed off the letter stating that their business plan isn't 'viable', nor would it make money, adding: 'The area is a protected AONB where any planning decisions must protect or enhance the environment - these applications do neither and a large polytunnel and barn will detract from this magical piece of ancient land.'
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polytunnel → sign → land
The latest design and access statement revealed Mr Cream and Ms Burger wanted to create 'a traditional market garden growing more than 100 varieties of seasonal vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers across one acre of minimal tillage land.'
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Cream → reveal → land
'In the longer term, they plan to also produce orchard fruit (from the newly planted traditional orchard), nuts, mushrooms and honey.
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they → plan → orchard
Produce from the market garden will be sold via two main outlets, direct to the local community via a 'veg box' scheme and to local businesses, such as greengrocers, restaurants, cafes and delis.
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Produce → sell → greengrocers
'Given the close proximity of the land to the town centre, deliveries to Beaminster will be via electric delivery bicycle to reduce the carbon footprint of the produce.
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deliveries → give → produce
Production of essential goods (fruit, vegetables etc) within Beaminster would reduce reliance on imported goods and help create resilient local food supply chains, supporting the local economy.
'
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Production → reduce → economy
The applicants believe the market garden will form an important part of a local food system that improves the food security, carbon footprint, health and biodiversity of the local area.'
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that → believe → area
Mr Langton - a former town councillor who's lived in the area for over 30 years - stated in his letter of support that he is a contributor to the area's Community Emergency Resilience Plan and had an opposing opinion to the Clunes.
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he → live → Clunes
'I value the small scale, sensitive and ecologically diverse approach the applicants are taking on their plans/planting schemes for the site,' he writes.
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he → value → site
It is fully understood, that this country can no longer depend upon a just in time food systems delivery model.
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country → understand → model
A system that is utterly dependent on outmoded practices and capability that is not resilient to the risk profiles they are matched against.
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they → match → profiles
'All this is listed and in line with Dorset's own climate and ecological emergency strategy.'
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this → list → strategy
He signs off the letter saying: 'To support food security, an application like this could even be seen a mandatory part of our critical local infrastructure.
'
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application → sign → infrastructure
That, I imagine, along with many other necessary measures that will address the changes we as a whole society are going to have to confront.'
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we → imagine → society
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