Martin Clunes: My planning-row neighbours are not real gypsies
Martin Clunes said neighbours who want to create a permanent travellers' site cannot be classified as such simply 'because they visit festivals to sell items'.
The Doc Martin actor and other villagers in Beaminster, Dorset, have fought a long-running battle to try to stop Theo Langton and Ruth McGill, New Age travellers, from turning their woodland plot into an official travellers site.
The couple, who have lived in a 45ft by 16ft (13.7m by 4.9m) caravan on land they own at Meerhay for 25 years, have applied for planning permission to continue living there permanently.
Dorset council had recommended the plans for approval at a planning committee last month, but the case was deferred after concerns were raised about the risk of flooding at the site.
Now Clunes and his wife have written a further submission to the committee expressing their concerns over the proposals, including the recommendation of the council's gypsy liaison officer that Mr Langton and Ms McGill should be considered as 'New Age Travellers'.
Theo Langton and Ruth McGill want to turn their woodland plot into an official travellers site - SWNS/William Dax
An officer's report to the committee said: 'It is very clear they follow and are a part of the New Age traveller community and have been for many years.
'Although they are not ethnic gypsies, I am more than satisfied they are New Age travellers and have a lot of friends and support in the New Age traveller community.'
In response, Clunes wrote: 'It cannot be concluded that the applicants are persons of nomadic habit of life due to them visiting music and other festivals each year to sell items and help set them up.
'This would mean that many, if not all, stallholders at such festivals, as well as the roadies who travel with the festival organisers, retailers and bands would be classed as gypsies and travellers within the planning definition, which clearly is not the case.'
He continued: 'Persons cannot claim they are travellers because of the way they project themselves, either by the way they dress, or living on a site without basic amenities or the company they keep, or because they travel to certain types of music festivals or fairs, here or abroad.
'More precisely, there is no evidence that the applicants have 'a cultural tradition of nomadism or living in a caravan'.
'Being on a committee supporting travellers does not mean that they are a traveller either, nor that the local community accepts them as such.
'What is to the point here is that there is no evidence that selling masks and other items at festivals and fairs is the applicants' means of livelihood, as required as a test in law.'
The application is for continued use of land as a private residential traveller site for 'sole use of the applicants and family' and to include the use of a barn as a workshop, along with a mobile home, a touring caravan and a van to be based on the site.
'Proposal is acceptable in its design'
In a letter submitted to the council by Clunes' solicitors, Kitson & Trotman, in April 2023, they argued the applicants do not fit within the definition of travellers and that approving the plans for the permanent site would set a 'harmful precedent'.
The agenda for April's cancelled hearing had recommended councillors approve the scheme.
The officers stated in their report: '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 case was previously delayed by the planning committee in April 2023 after a last-minute objection was received from Clunes.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ariel Kalma, French New-Age Pioneer, Dies at 78
Ariel Kalma, photo courtesy of the artist's estate and Rvng Intl. Ariel Kalma, the pioneering French new-age musician, electronic composer, and multi-instrumentalist, has died. The news was confirmed in a statement from record label Rvng Intl., who throughout the 2010s put out a compilation of Kalma's previously unreleased early recordings as well as several collaborative albums between himself and other artists. 'After contending with many health challenges over the past several years, his departure was sudden though peaceful,' it reads in part. He was 78. Born in Paris in 1947, Kalma's first instruments of choice were the recorder and saxophone. At the University of Paris he studied computer science and met the Belgian-Italian crooner Salvatore Adamo. After being invited by Adamo to join his touring band, Kalma learned how to play the flute within a week. During the late '60s and early '70s, he met and worked with bossa nova guitarist Baden Powell and, back in Paris, began to play around with ReVox reel-to-reel tape recorders. Chaining two of these machines together, Kalma was able to create analog loops of saxophone, church organ, and other instruments, layering them with poetry and found sound in his first original compositions. Time spent busking on the streets of New York City led to encounters with both free jazz trumpeter Don Cherry and godfather of American minimalism Terry Riley, but it was a one-way trip to India in 1974 that proved the genesis of Kalma's recording career proper. He later recalled a 'heart-opening' experience of being in an airplane hangar during monsoon season, which he documented on a portable tape recorder. While in India, Kalma also learned the technique of circular breathing, which allowed him to get continuous drones out of his instruments. Returning to Paris, he worked at Pierre Henry's INA-GRM Studio, frequently cited as the birthplace of modern electronic music, and self-released his debut album, Le Temps des Moissons, in 1975. Kalma released dozens of albums throughout the rest of the 20th century, and recorded even more music that never saw the light of day. Rvng Intl. gathered some of those early tape recorder compositions on 2014's An Evolutionary Music (Original Recordings: 1972 – 1979). The latter act of Kalma's career was largely defined by his collaborations with younger musicians. He worked with Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (of Lichens and 90 Day Men) on We Know Each Other Somehow in 2015, and last year shared The Closest Thing to Silence alongside the Los Angeles experimental duo Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer. 'Ariel was a true maestro,' Aubrey Lowe wrote in memory of Kalma, 'a gentle, thoughtful human who maintained a wonder and enthusiasm for creative work throughout his entire life.' Originally Appeared on Pitchfork


New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Man brags he could run a marathon on 24 hour notice with no training — and proves it
A woman signed her husband up for a marathon with 24 hours notice after he bragged he could complete 26.2 miles without any training. Maisie Todd, 31, put her husband Logan's name down for the Rock 'n' Roll marathon in San Diego on May 31 after he 'kept bringing up' how he could finish the course with no training. Surprising him 24 hours before the big day on June 1, 2025, Logan, 32, prepped by eating peanut butter sandwiches, stretching and drinking lots of water. He went on to finish in an impressive time of five hours 58 minutes – running the first 10 miles without a break – with supportive Maisie posting regular updates of the whole experience on social media. Logan, a software engineer, from San Diego, California, US, said: 'Being woken up at 6am on a Saturday [with the surprise] didn't feel good. 7 Maisie Todd, 31, put her husband Logan's name down for the Rock 'n' Roll marathon in San Diego on May 31. Maisie Todd / SWNS 'It was also exciting because I talk a big game, and it was time to put my money where my mouth was. 'Running is definitely not a passion. 'I did sports in high school but ever since I graduated, I haven't been very active. 7 Surprising him 24 hours before the big day on June 1, 2025, Logan, 32, prepped by eating peanut butter sandwiches. Maisie Todd / SWNS 'I started running and jogging and did that for about 10 miles and felt surprisingly good about it the whole time. 'I ran into a bunch of people that had seen me on TikTok the day before, and they cheered me on. 'I knew I was going to finish so it just became a mind game of how I was going to get there.' Maisie planned the surprise in April after talking with friends about signing Logan up for one out of the blue. Using her sister Sadie Todd's, 27, computer, she applied on Logan's behalf. 7 He went on to finish in an impressive time of five hours 58 minutes – running the first 10 miles without a break. Maisie Todd / SWNS 'One of his stipulations was he had to be given 24 hours' notice and then he could complete it,' she said. 'I kind of kept it a secret between my sister and I.' Waking Logan at 6am the day before, Maisie broke the news, and the marathon preparation began. Logan said: 'I knew that I had to carb load and so I went out and got a bunch of stuff we don't usually have in like peanut butter and bread. 'I just ate as much as I thought I could. 'My sister-in-law has run a marathon, and she set me with a nice backpack I could wear to carry my energy gels, and then we went out and got a pair of shoes that looked like they'd do the job for me. 7 Maisie planned the surprise in April after talking with friends about signing Logan up for one out of the blue. Maisie Todd / SWNS 'That was it really, I just did a few stretches and drank lots of water. 'I got about two hours of sleep [the night before]. 'I was lying there tossing and turning thinking about the situation I'd got myself into.' Logan set off at 6.45 a.m., with Maisie cheering him on. She said: 'I saw he looked nervous and almost felt bad for signing him up. 'He said 'don't feel bad I did this to myself'.' Smashing his goal of seven hours, Logan was relieved to finish the route. 7 Logan started the marathon at 6.45 a.m., with Maisie cheering him on. Maisie Todd / SWNS He said: 'I felt a little bad about it because everyone else had trained for months and I was like 'please don't be mad at me'. 'The goal was to get within seven and then I realised, I did the math about halfway through and realised I could break six if I wanted to. 'I didn't have too much emotion [at the finish line]. 'My knees hurt and I was focused on walking. 'It was always a fun hypothetical question to ask people and now it's been answered. 'You can finish a marathon with 24 hours' notice. 7 Smashing his goal of seven hours, Logan was relieved to finish the route. Maisie Todd / SWNS 'The day after was not good, everything hurt. 'Stairs were a problem. 'I still just kept drinking plenty of fluids and stretching as much as I could.' Maisie has found people online 'didn't believe it' when she shared videos of the day online. She said: 'A lot of the comments have been supportive however I kind of wish I had brought it up before because it came out of nowhere and a lot of people didn't believe it was true. 7 Maisie has found people online 'didn't believe it' when she shared videos of the day online. Maisie Todd / SWNS 'People were commenting saying 'he looks like he's in shape' and 'he's done a marathon before'. 'I wish more people believed it. 'Other than that, it's been really positive, and a lot of people were following along.' Despite his amazing achievement, Logan has no plans to run any more marathons. He said: 'I didn't even want to run that one. 'I think my running career started and ended on Sunday.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Banksy collector from south Essex to part with three original works at auction
AN Essex art dealer has decided to part with three original works by street artist Banksy at auction - which are now set to fetch over £1 million. The trio of artworks - including two pieces which were saved from destruction - are being sold by Banksy collector John Brandler. Mr Brandler, who owns the Brandler Galleries in Brentwood, currently boasts 13 Banksy pieces in his £25 million collection. DJ on a Cloud (1999) - One of Banksy's earliest known wall paintings, created during a two-week commission in the hallway of a shop (Image: Hansons Auctioneers / SWNS) But he has now decided to sell three pieces by the elusive street artist, which will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, in Etwall, Derbys. Among them is DJ on a Cloud from 1999, a rare early piece which was rescued from being thrown out when a shop in Bath was being cleared. It is one of Banksy's earliest known wall paintings and is expected to fetch between £350,000–£450,000 when it is sold on June 13. Another called Two Rats with Saw from 2003, which was also spared from the scrap heap before it was recovered and preserved, could fetch £145,000–£165,000. Both pieces have since gone on to tour the world and will are being offered for public sale for the first time in the "landmark" auction. Two Rats with Saw (2003) - Featuring Banksy's iconic rats, this subversive piece was also at risk of being lost before being recovered and preserved (Image: Hansons Auctioneers / SWNS) The third piece Family Target is also from 2003 and shows a family in the crosshairs of a sniper's rifle. It is also set to fetch £350,000–£450,000. Mr Brandler also famously owns Seasons Greetings, the only known Banksy artwork to have inspired a full-length play: Port Talbot Gotta Banksy. He said: 'Banksy is the only artist I know of whose single painting inspired a stage production. 'It shows the cultural weight his work carries - and these three pieces are no exception. "They very nearly disappeared forever. Instead, they're now part of modern art history.' DJ on a Cloud was created during a two-week commission in the hallway of a shop on Walcot Street, Bath. This now-iconic work was moments away from being discarded before it was salvaged from a door panel just before being dumped. Family Target is a spray paint on canvas work said to depict Banksy's "signature themes of family, violence and social critique." Two Rats with Saw was left behind in an office when Banksy parted ways with his first business partner Jon Swinstead All three pieces boast "exceptional exhibition history" having featured in major global exhibitions from Rome and Palermo to New York's Bowery and Broadway between 2019 and 2023. Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: 'These are more than artworks - they are survivors, cultural landmarks, and provocations all rolled into one. "We're proud to be offering them to a global audience. "Banksy's work continues to hold a mirror up to society in a way that's both playful and powerful - and collectors have responded to that message in extraordinary ways.' Banksy, born in 1974, is the anonymous British artist and political activist known for his stencil-based street art. Often laced with satire and social commentary, his work has appeared on buildings, bridges and public spaces worldwide - sparking debate and reshaping the art world. The works will be sold as part of Hansons 20th Century, Modern Art & Design Auction on June 13 with bidding available worldwide online and in person.