Martin Clunes has been defeated in a planning dispute that stretched over four years, after Dorset Council’s committee granted permission for a permanent Travellers’ site adjacent to his home.
The committee approved the application by a margin of seven votes to two, allowing Theo Langton and Ruth McGill to remain on their land at Meerhay near Beaminster.
The couple have occupied a mobile home measuring 45ft by 16ft on the site they own for a quarter of a century and sought formal planning consent to stay there permanently.
Mr Clunes, recognised for his roles in Doc Martin and Wuthering Heights, had joined other local residents in opposing the development throughout the lengthy planning process.
Martin Clunes opposed the development
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The approval comes with several stipulations imposed by planning officers.
Any modifications made to the property must be dismantled within four months should Mr Langton and Ms McGill cease to live there permanently.
Additionally, the permission restricts the number of caravans permitted for residential use to just two.
Planning officer Bob Burden informed the committee that the authorisation would apply solely to the current occupants, stating: “If the site ceased to be occupied, then the structures would need to be removed.”
Mr Clunes contested the couple’s eligibility for planning exceptions
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The application had initially been considered by the Western and Southern Area Planning Committee in April 2025, but was postponed due to flooding concerns.
A subsequent flood risk assessment determined that surface water flooding posed insufficient risk over the development’s estimated 100-year lifespan.
John Steel KC, acting on behalf of Mr Clunes, contested the couple’s eligibility for planning exceptions, telling the committee: “The applicants are not statutory Travellers, but even assuming they are, they cannot on one hand reject sites offered to them and at the same time benefit from Traveller policy exceptions.”
The barrister warned that granting consent would encourage others to circumvent planning rules, adding: “Others will follow, others are waiting, there is evidence of this already on adjacent land.”
Martin Clunes submitted written objections
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He argued that approval would be “unlawful, undermine planning policy and be wholly unfair to law-abiding residents.”
Mr Clunes himself submitted written objections challenging the classification of the applicants as Travellers, writing: “It cannot be concluded that the applicants are persons of nomadic habit of life due to them visiting music and other festivals each year.”
The council’s gypsy liaison officer concluded that the couple’s travel patterns and festival attendance satisfied the official definition of Travellers.
An officer’s report stated: “It is very clear they follow and are a part of the New Age Traveller community and have been for many years.”
Reverend Jonathan Herbert spoke in favour of the application, describing the pair as “well known and respected among the new Traveller community” who “maintained a nomadic lifestyle”.
Simon Rushton, representing the applicants, noted they had received 47 letters backing their case alongside support from the local town council.
Mr Burden highlighted a broader housing shortage, telling the committee: “There is a growing and significant unmet need for sites, we simply cannot find sufficient sites for gypsies and Travellers.”
This isn’t the first time the actor has spoken out about issues in public.
Martin Clunes has lived in Dorset since 2007
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In February 2024, Mr Clunes spoke out in defence of himself and fellow actors after a video emerged showing him being confronted over his parking.
Responding to the incident, he criticised members of the public who, he said, overstep boundaries and intrude on actors’ privacy and personal space.
The actor has also been a long-time supporter of animal welfare, acting as a patron for the Animal Care in Egypt (ACE) and the Born Free Foundation.
However, he was dropped as a patron by the Born Free Foundation in 2019 after a backlash around him riding an elephant in a documentary.
