Fresh twist in Martin Clunes’ row with ‘hippie’ neighbours as star fights to keep Travellers from building caravan site

THE long-running planning row between Martin Clunes and his “hippie neighbours” has taken a further twist – after a decision was delayed over flooding fears.

The Men Behaving Badly star has to stop New Age Theo Langton and Ruth McGill turning their woodland plot and caravan into an official travellers site.

But after a bitter two-year fight – that has seen Clunes submit multiple objections directly and through his lawyer – the plans looked set to be approved at a meeting today.

Councillors at Dorset County Council planning committee recommended to approve the proposal originally set to be debated on Thursday morning at its headquarters in Dorchester.

But the case has now been deferred after additional concerns were raised about the risk of flooding at the site.

Dorset Council said of the delay: “This is because a matter has come to the attention of officers since the publication of the agenda which will require further consideration.

“The matter relates to surface water flooding and will need to be considered before the application can be reported to committee.

“The application will be reported back to committee as soon as possible.”

In his report that was due to go to the committe, planning official Bob Burden said: “The location is considered to be relatively sustainable and the proposal is acceptable in its design and general visual impact.

“There is not considered to be any significant harm to neighbouring residential amenity.

“There are no material considerations which would warrant refusal of this application.”

The applicants have lived in the 45ft by 16ft mobile home on a temporarily rolling licence near Beaminster, Dorset, for more than 20 years.

They applied for planning permission for continued use of land as a private residential traveller site for “sole use of the applicants and family.”

The plans include use of the erected barn as a dayroom, workshop and store, one mobile home, a touring caravan and a mobile van.

Clunes had tried to argue his neighbours didn't meet the definition as bona fide travellers and therefore have a right to a base there.

Mr Burden said in his report that temporary permission on the site for this traveller family had been accepted in planning terms under previous appeals and permissions and said the applicants were considered to “have traveller status”.

The actor, 63, had previously said: “It is my belief that this building lacks any ability to be mobile and was not constructed with any intention of mobility and to describe it as a mobile home is cynical and dishonest.”

In support of their application, the gypsy liason officer for the council wrote: “Theo and Ruth have been a part of the UK travelling community for over 30 years.

“They are a creative Traveller family who have made and sold and operated with a sense of belonging to the community around them, both around Beaminster and within the New Traveller community in the UK and .”

The Clunes bought 130-acre Meerhay Farm near Beaminster, Dorset, from Mr Langton's mother, the landscape gardener Langton, in 2007.

The land at the heart of the planning row is around 300 yards from the £5m farmhouse where Clunes lives with wife Philippa Braithwaite.