Latest news with #MichaelChalk
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Travellers lose battle to settle in National Park despite 'token' promise to install e-bike chargers to prove their eco credentials
A group of travellers has lost a battle with a council to settle on a land in a National Park despite promising to install e-bike chargers to prove their eco credentials. Michael Chalk and Tom Butler were accused of including 'token sustainability features' in their planning application in a bid to impress councillors and to get them to approve the plans for the site in the New Forest. Their application sparked a furious row in the village after the pair set up pitches with their families and proposed to install e-bike chargers and cycle sheds on former pony paddocks. This came after they set up caravans on the agricultural land in the heart of the Hampshire site, and proposed to build grey, plastic e-bike sheds and charging ports on the field. However, this failed to impress locals in Burley, who branded the move 'performative'. They said the 'superficial additions' were merely an attempt to mitigate the potential environmental impact of the development. Now, councillors at New Forest Park Authority have refused the application and said the families did not have an 'established local connection with the New Forest'. Chiefs described the development as both 'intrusive and incongruous' and said it would result in the 'suburbanisation' of the rural area. Mr Chalk and Mr Butler made the retrospective application to install two static caravans, two touring caravans, parking, bin and cycle stores, e-bike charging points and boundary fencing on the former pony paddocks in Burley earlier this year. Their plans sparked backlash amongst locals who are opposed to the 'urbanising nature' of the development. Philip Mosley said: 'Token sustainability features, such as electric vehicle and e-bike charging points, do not genuinely offset the environmental impacts of permanent housing, increased traffic, waste production, and extensive hard surfaces. 'True sustainability should align naturally with the environmental context, rather than serving as superficial additions.' Mr Mosley said approval would set a 'concerning precedent' and encourage similar applications. He added: 'Protecting the unique character of the New Forest National Park should be a top priority. 'While acknowledging the need for suitable accommodation options for all communities, including Gypsy and Traveller groups, this particular proposal significantly fails to meet essential planning criteria. 'The negative consequences clearly outweigh any perceived benefits.' Burley has a population of just over 1,300 and is surrounded by the open heathland of the New Forest. The traveller site is located just off Ringwood road, which runs through the ancient village. Andrew and Rachel Holloway live next to the paddocks and said before the site was developed in March, they overlooked fields and hedgerows. The couple said the land has 'completely changed' since the travellers built on the site. Mrs and Mrs Holloway said: 'The Pony paddocks have been urbanised and the natural beauty of the fields and surrounding area in this conservation area damaged.' They said the addition of the caravans and grey plastic bike sheds does not enhance the landscape and 'scenic beauty' of the New Forest. The couple added: 'It certainly harms the character and appearance of the area, and would never be considered as high-quality design.' Another neighbour, named as Mr Briggs, said while the application is framed as a 'multi-functional rural enterprise', the true proposal is 'unambiguously residential'. He wrote: 'The application appears to exploit features-such as electric vehicle and e-bike charging points-as superficial nods to sustainability objectives. 'These token elements cannot reasonably be construed as mitigating factors for the intrusive environmental and visual impacts of permanent dwellings, waste generation, hard infrastructure, and increased vehicular activity. 'Sustainability, in planning terms, is holistic and must be contextually appropriate-not performative.' More than 70 neighbours objected to the plans. Mr Chalk and Mr Butler have also been criticised for putting up 'threatening signage' outside the site when they moved in. Outside the front of the site is a sign which reads: 'Strictly no entry without permission. Please beware. Reactive guard dogs roaming loose which will bite you.' In their application the two men said their families intend to integrate into village life, using local shops and other amenities. But one objector argued: 'The tall fencing and aggressive signage displayed at the entrance do not suggest a willingness to integrate with the community.' Dr A Lawrence Dr C Walter said in their objection: 'This is a mischievous application that seeks to legalise an encroachment of a built residential environment onto rural land, and that in a National Park. 'The proposal is for static homes with attendant infrastructure - charging points, bin stores, cycle stores. 'It urbanises and its fences suburbanise what was a pony paddock in a rural setting. 'There is nothing temporary in this proposal just as there is nothing rural or agricultural. 'Already mostly built, it sets a damaging precedent for incremental (sub)urbanisation of the village.' The New Forest Park Authority have since rejected the application. A council officer said: 'Insufficient information has been provided in order to ascertain the gypsy status of the applicants for planning purposes, nor that the applicants have an established local connection with the New Forest. 'The need for the two gypsy pitches to be within the National Park has not been satisfactorily or clearly demonstrated or that there is a locational need which cannot be met by an alternative site outside of the National Park. 'The development is intrusive and incongruous in this setting, resulting in the suburbanisation and erosion of the rural area and significant harm to the character and appearance of the protected landscape of the National Park.'
Telegraph
29-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
Travellers using e-bike chargers to charm planners into approving new site, claim neighbours
A group of travellers is attempting to persuade councillors to approve a new settlement by including 'performative' e-bike chargers in their plans, villagers have claimed. Michael Chalk and Tom Butler have made a retrospective application for the development in the New Forest village of Burley, Hants, where they have put up static caravans on former pony paddocks, and have included the chargers and cycle sheds in their plans. But residents say the inclusion of the 'token sustainability features' does not offset the environmental impact of the application, which also includes two static caravans, two touring caravans, parking, bin stores, and boundary fencing. One villager, Philip Mosley, said: 'Token sustainability features, such as electric vehicle and e-bike charging points, do not genuinely offset the environmental impacts of permanent housing, increased traffic, waste production and extensive hard surfaces. 'True sustainability should align naturally with the environmental context, rather than as serving as superficial additions.' Mr Mosley warned that approval would set a 'concerning precedent' and encourage similar applications. He added: ' Protecting the unique character of the New Forest National Park should be a top priority.' Burley has a population of just over 1,300 and is surrounded by the open heathland of the New Forest. The traveller site is located just off Ringwood Road, which runs through the historic village. Andrew and Rachel Holloway live next to the paddocks, and said before the site was developed in March, they overlooked fields and hedgerows. But they said the land has 'completely changed' since the travellers built on the site, adding: 'The pony paddocks have been urbanised, and the natural beauty of the fields and surrounding area in this conservation area damaged.' 'Superficial nods to sustainability' Mr and Mrs Holloway also claimed the addition of the caravans and grey plastic bike sheds does not enhance the landscape and 'scenic beauty' of the New Forest They said: 'It certainly harms the character and appearance of the area, and would never be considered as high‐quality design.' Another neighbour argued: 'The application appears to exploit features – such as electric vehicle and e-bike charging points – as superficial nods to sustainability objectives. Sustainability, in planning terms, is holistic and must be contextually appropriate, not performative.' More than 70 neighbours have objected to the plans. Mr Chalk and Mr Butler have also been criticised for putting up 'threatening signage' outside the site when they moved in. One sign reads: 'Strictly no entry without permission. Please beware. Reactive guard dogs roaming loose which will bite you.' In their application, the two men say their families intend to integrate into village life, using local shops and other amenities. In response to concerns raised by locals, Mr Chalk said he was 'surprised' to learn of the comments as he has 'only encountered positive and welcoming people in and around the village'. He added that he wished to 'reassure those residents who have formed a negative opinion' that it is only Mr Butler's young family and his own family, who will be occupying the site. He also claimed that in the event they were unable to remain, the land would be fully restored to its former equestrian stables and yard use. The New Forest Park Authority will make a decision on the plans later this week.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
Travellers woo council in bid to get new settlement approved by promising to install e-bike chargers to prove their eco credentials
A group of travellers are hoping to obtain council planning permission for a new settlement by installing e-bike chargers to prove their eco credentials. In a bid to woo the local council, Michael Chalk and Tom Butler have been accused of including 'token sustainability features' in their planning application in order to have their plans approved for a rural site in Burley, New Forest. Their controversial application has caused a row amongst locals in the ancient village located in the heart of Hampshire's idyllic New Forest, after the pair and their families set up static caravans on the former horse paddocks before then lodging plans to install e-bike chargers and cycle sheds. In a move dubbed by locals as 'performative', the travellers have proposed to build grey, plastic e-bike sheds and charging ports on the field. Submitting a retrospective planning application to install two static caravans, two touring caravans, parking, bin and cycle stores, e-bike charging points and boundary fencing on the former pony paddocks earlier this year, their plans have now sparked outrage amongst local villagers. Opposing the 'urbanising nature' of the development and its 'superficial additions', more than 70 local residents have since objected to the application. Philip Mosley, a local resident, expressed his particular distaste for the e-bike chargers, stating: 'Token sustainability features, such as electric vehicle and e-bike charging points, do not genuinely offset the environmental impacts of permanent housing, increased traffic, waste production, and extensive hard surfaces. 'True sustainability should align naturally with the environmental context, rather than serving as superficial additions.' Mr Mosley also raised concerns that such approval could set a 'concerning precedent' and encourage similar applications. He added: 'Protecting the unique character of the New Forest National Park should be a top priority. 'While acknowledging the need for suitable accommodation options for all communities, including Gypsy and Traveller groups, this particular proposal significantly fails to meet essential planning criteria. 'The negative consequences clearly outweigh any perceived benefits.' The traveller site runs through the historic village of Burley. With a population of just over 1,300 and popular with tourists, it is surrounded by the open heathland of the New Forest. Andrew and Rachel Holloway live next to the paddocks and said that prior to the site's development in March, they overlooked fields and hedgerows. But now, since the travellers have built on the site, they reported that the land has 'completely changed' as the pony paddocks have become 'urbanised', while the 'natural beauty of the fields and surrounding area' has been left 'damaged'. The couple also remarked that the addition of the caravans and grey plastic bike sheds does not help to enhance the landscape and 'scenic beauty' of the New Forest. They added: 'It certainly harms the character and appearance of the area, and would never be considered as high-quality design.' Another neighbour, Mr Briggs, said while the application is framed as a 'multi-functional rural enterprise', the true proposal is 'unambiguously residential'. He wrote: 'The application appears to exploit features-such as electric vehicle and e-bike charging points-as superficial nods to sustainability objectives. 'These token elements cannot reasonably be construed as mitigating factors for the intrusive environmental and visual impacts of permanent dwellings, waste generation, hard infrastructure, and increased vehicular activity. 'Sustainability, in planning terms, is holistic and must be contextually appropriate-not performative.' Mr Chalk and Mr Butler have also received criticism for putting up 'threatening signage' outside of the site when they moved in. One of the signs placed outside of the site reads: 'Strictly no entry without permission. Please beware. Reactive guard dogs roaming loose which will bite you.' Within their application, the two men said that their families intend to integrate into village life, using local shops and other amenities. However, one objector disagreed with such claim, arguing: 'The tall fencing and aggressive signage displayed at the entrance do not suggest a willingness to integrate with the community.' Dr A Lawrence Dr C Walter even described such application as 'mischievous', suggesting that it 'seeks to legalise an encroachment of a built residential environment onto rural land, and that in a National Park'. They added: 'The proposal is for static homes with attendant infrastructure - charging points, bin stores, cycle stores. 'It urbanises and its fences suburbanise what was a pony paddock in a rural setting. 'There is nothing temporary in this proposal just as there is nothing rural or agricultural. Already mostly built, it sets a damaging precedent for incremental (sub)urbanisation of the village.' The New Forest Park Authority are set to make a decision on the plans later this week.
