Latest news with #SirPhilipWilliams
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Developers accused of forcing residents out of town
Residents of an idyllic UK village made famous by a hit TV show have accused 'faceless developers' of ruining their town. Disgruntled locals in Littlebredy, Dorset, have said their picturesque town has become 'totally different' after a number of changes, The Sun reports. Set in the heart of the 2,047-acre (828ha) Bridehead Estate, the tiny hamlet was thrust into the spotlight when it featured in ITV crime drama 'Broadchurch'. But now residents say their tranquil slice of rural England is under siege – and they are already fighting back. Until recently, the estate had been in the hands of Sir Philip and Lady Catherine Williams – the seventh generation of the family to live there since 1797. The couple were seen as part of the village's fabric, opening up the stunning grounds and waterfall to locals and visitors alike. But the large number of Broadchurch fans descending onto their home and gawping at the houses saw them become increasingly frustrated. It meant the £30 million ($A62 million) estate – which includes a manor house and thatched cottages – was sold by the popular owners to a 'faceless' investment company called Belport Ltd, the Telegraph reports. Just last month, the path to the lake and a tumbling waterfall -which was used as a crime scene in 'Broadchurch' – was closed, piling on misery for residents. However, locals have vented their frustrations after the multimillion-dollar estate was sold off, fearing their community is being ripped apart in a secretive land grab. Oxfordshire-based Belport Ltd have padlocked the gates to the estate and slapped up warning signs telling walkers to keep out. Belport said it may reopen the path if 'issues' could be addressed. The firm claims it's for 'health and safety' reasons, but villagers say it's nonsense. Protester Russell Giles, 65, from Dorchester, told the Telegraph: 'They are taking away land that's been used by the public for 65 years. 'It feels so heavy-headed and unnecessary, a faceless corporation taking over. The idea that they are doing it for health and safety is ludicrous. 'If we don't fight for our rights, we lose access to nature. And here, people might also lose their homes. It feels like an injustice.' The first casualty was longstanding resident and well-known cookery writer Christine McFadden, who was forced out after her tenancy wasn't renewed. 'I lived in Littlebredy for 21 years and absolutely loved it. But now it is totally different,' she said. Her old home has now been turned into an office for the new estate managers. She added: 'I was so upset when I got asked to move, but now I'm glad I don't live there. No one knows what's happening.' And Christine isn't the only one. Dozens of worried residents fear they could be next, with many living in homes under rolling short-term tenancy agreements. One local, who didn't want to be named, admitted they have 'no idea who the new owners are' and confessed that residents are 'completely powerless'. Belport has claimed it has no plans to evict anyone and is simply carrying out upgrades to bring the homes up to 'minimum energy and safety standards'. Last week, around 70 campaigners and locals took part in a mass Right to Roam protest. Frustrated residents scaled a stone wall, enjoyed a picnic by the waterfall and read poetry in protest. Locals fear the upgrades will push rents sky-high, pricing them out of the homes their families have lived in for generations. 'POWERLESS' The anonymous local said the community feels 'at the mercy of the investors' and it seems like 'an end of an era'. Organiser Nadia Shaikh blasted the move from Belport as morally wrong, saying: 'Of course the new owners have the legal right to take access away, but to do so is, in our view, morally wrong and deeply sad.' In a statement, Belport said: 'Belport's background is in estate management and we have the goal of modernising and improving our assets through ongoing investment. 'Having bought the Bridehead estate, our principal focus is to orchestrate a sequence of upgrade works to each of the estate properties in Littlebredy, which will bring them up to current and anticipated minimum energy and safety standards required of all landlords. 'Contrary to reports, there are no plans to evict anyone.' The statement adds that access to the waterfall and lake, which has been accessible since the 1950s, had been 'temporarily suspended pending a health and safety review of access routes, trees and open water'. However, the company states that if any issues that arise can be addressed 'sufficiently [then] we intend to reopen the area to the public'.
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Our idyllic village was made famous by hit ITV show… but we're DISGUSTED with ‘faceless developers' who's forcing us out
RESIDENTS of an idyllic village made famous by a hit ITV have slammed "faceless developers" who are ruining their town. Disgruntled locals in Littlebredy, Dorset, have said their picturesque town has become "totally different" after a number of changes. 8 8 8 8 Set in the heart of the 2,047-acre Bridehead Estate, the tiny hamlet was thrust into the spotlight when it featured in ITV crime drama Broadchurch. But now residents say their tranquil slice of rural England is under siege - and they are already fighting back. Until recently, the estate had been in the hands of Sir Philip and Lady Catherine Williams - the seventh generation of the family to live there since 1797. The couple were seen as part of the village's fabric, opening up the stunning grounds and waterfall to locals and visitors alike. But the large number of Broadchurch fans descending onto their home and gawping at the houses saw them become increasingly frustrated. It meant the £30million estate - which includes a manor house and thatched cottages - was sold by the popular owners to a 'faceless' investment company called Belport Ltd, reports the Telegraph. Just last month, the path to the lake and a tumbling waterfall -which was used as a crime scene in Broadchurch - was closed, piling on misery for residents. However, locals have vented their frustrations after the multi-million pound estate was sold off, fearing their community is being ripped apart in a secretive land grab. Oxfordshire-based Belport Ltd have padlocked the gates to the estate and slapped up warning signs telling walkers to keep out. Belport said it may reopen the path if 'issues' could be addressed. The firm claim it's for 'health and safety' reasons, but villagers say it's nonsense. Protester Russell Giles, 65, from Dorchester, told the Telegraph: "They are taking away land that's been used by the public for 65 years. "It feels so heavy-headed and unnecessary, a faceless corporation taking over. The idea that they are doing it for health and safety is ludicrous. "If we don't fight for our rights, we lose access to nature. And here, people might also lose their homes. It feels like an injustice.' The first casualty was long-standing resident and well-known cookery writer Christine McFadden, who was forced out after her tenancy wasn't renewed. She said: 'I lived in Littlebredy for 21 years and absolutely loved it. But now it is totally different.' Her old home has now been turned into an office for the new estate managers. She added: 'I was so upset when I got asked to move, but now I'm glad I don't live there. No one knows what's happening.' And Christine isn't the only one. Dozens of worried residents fear they could be next, with many living in homes under rolling short-term tenancy agreements. 8 8 8 One local, who didn't want to be named, admitted they have "no idea who the new owners are" and confessed that residents are "completely powerless". Belport has claimed it has no plans to evict anyone and is simply carrying out upgrades to bring the homes up to 'minimum energy and safety standards'. On Saturday, around 70 campaigners and locals took part in a mass Right to Roam protest. Frustrated residents scaled a stone wall, enjoyed a picnic by the waterfall and read poetry in protest. Locals fear the upgrades will push rents sky-high, pricing them out of the homes their families have lived in for generations. 'POWERLESS' The anonymous local said the community feels "at the mercy of the investors" and it seems like "an end of an era". Organiser Nadia Shaikh blasted the move from Belport as morally wrong, saying: 'Of course the new owners have the legal right to take access away, but to do so is, in our view, morally wrong and deeply sad.' In a statement, Belport said: 'Belport's background is in estate management and we have the goal of modernising and improving our assets through ongoing investment. 'Having bought the Bridehead estate, our principal focus is to orchestrate a sequence of upgrade works to each of the estate properties in Littlebredy, which will bring them up to current and anticipated minimum energy and safety standards required of all landlords. 'Contrary to reports, there are no plans to evict anyone.' The statement adds that access to the waterfall and lake, which has been accessible since the 1950s, had been 'temporarily suspended pending a health and safety review of access routes, trees and open water'. However, the company states that if any issues that arise can be addressed 'sufficiently [then] we intend to reopen the area to the public'. 8
Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The Dorset village being upended by ‘faceless developers'
With its rows of thatched cottages, glorious cricket pitch and trickling brook, it is hard to imagine a more idyllic spot than the tiny village of Littlebredy, Dorset. It sits within the 2,047-acre Bridehead estate, at the heart of which is a Regency manor house with sprawling grounds, and many of the residents of the 32 historic properties have lived here for generations. They have also benefited from access to a picturesque lake and waterfall in the grounds of the manor house, which featured in ITV's hit crime drama Broadchurch. But this contented and close-knit community is now facing an uncertain future, after the £30-million estate was recently sold by its popular owners, Sir Philip Williams and his wife Catherine, to a 'faceless' investment company called Belport Ltd. A source has told The Telegraph that those behind Oxfordshire-based Belport are investors hoping to 'realise value' from their new asset over the next decade. But that 'realisation of value' has already come at a cost for those residents who have lived in Littlebredy under the estate's rolling tenancy agreements: one long-standing resident, cookery writer Christine McFadden, has now been forced out after her tenancy renewal was declined. Others fear significant rent increases or their houses being sold from under them. In early June, gates to the grounds of the manor house were also padlocked, and signs put up warning walkers that the 'permissive access' had been withdrawn and that they were to keep out, denying the residents and others their longstanding right to roam. Belport insists that it 'intends' to restore access to the waterfall once a health and safety check is completed. But sceptical locals and countryside campaigners are fighting back at what they see as a 'land grab'. On Saturday, roughly 70 people undertook a Right To Roam trespass across the land, scaling an old stone wall and walking to the beloved waterfall before having a picnic and reciting poetry. There was also a brief talk about Thomas Hardy, who knew the area well: a key character in his 1895 novel Jude the Obscure was named Sue Bridehead. One of the trespassers, Russell Giles, 65, of Dorchester, said he attended not just because of the beauty of the area, which he has frequented throughout his life, but because of the principle of the matter. 'It feels so heavy-headed and unnecessary, a faceless corporation taking away land that's been used by the public for 65 years,' he says. 'And the idea that they are doing so for health and safety reasons is ludicrous. It's a shallow lake and grassland. There's never been a problem. 'It's a similar story to the wild camping debate on Dartmoor, where a wealthy landowner moved in and tried to stop people from camping, which was their legal right. If we don't fight for our rights, we lose access to nature. And here, people might also lose their homes. It feels like an injustice.' For former resident McFadden, now in her 70s, and who attended the start of the protest, the whole situation is 'very distressing'. 'I lived in Littlebredy for 21 years and absolutely loved it,' she tells us from her new home in downtown Bridport, 10 miles away. 'It is beautiful and we used to roam everywhere, often to the waterfall, and had good links with the owners. But now it is totally different.' McFadden was driven out in April after her tenancy agreement was not renewed: her home has since been acquired as a new office for the estate. 'I was so upset when I got asked to move, but now I'm glad I don't live there,' she adds. 'Everyone is just full of angst and no one knows what's happening. The rumour is the properties will be done up and eventually sold off. But for the people who still live there, it is difficult with that uncertainty. 'There are three generations of one particular family, who all live in separate properties in the village. This is hard for them.' It is not difficult see why residents don't want to leave Littlebredy. Visiting the village, with its tea room, church, blacksmith barn and pretty cottages, is like travelling back in time to a simpler age. There are also ancient woodlands and clover-filled meadows. Until recently, Sir Philip and Lady Catherine Williams were the seventh generation of the Williams family to own the estate, after it was bought by banker and politician Robert Williams in 1797. Philip and Catherine were community minded: they allowed public access to part of their grounds – including the lake and waterfall, which have become hugely popular. But after renting out the house for filming for Broadchurch, they reportedly became frustrated with the influx of fans, whom they would sometimes find wandering across their lawn, and decided to sell up. The entire estate – which comprises the nine-bed manor house, 2,000 acres of rolling countryside, seven farms and the entire village of Littlebredy – spent several years on the market before Belport marched in. But because most of the village's properties are rented out on short tenancies, the residents are at the mercy of the estate's owners. Belport has insisted it has no plans to evict anyone – in other words, remove someone before their tenancy term is up – but the issue is weighing heavily on locals' minds. 'We are just praying they won't evict us,' says one local, who refuses to be named for fear of antagonising the new owners. 'We have lived here for years and raised our children here. There is nowhere else we would want to live. 'But we have no idea who the new owners actually are or their plans. We are completely powerless and just praying we won't have to move.' Indeed, there is scant information about Belport, with company listings only showing the directors as an Alexander John Stratford Davis and Frederick David James. In an unsigned statement, it said: 'Belport's background is in estate management and we have the goal of modernising and improving our assets through ongoing investment. 'Having bought the Bridehead estate, our principal focus is to orchestrate a sequence of upgrade works to each of the estate properties in Littlebredy, which will bring them up to current and anticipated minimum energy and safety standards required of all landlords. 'Contrary to reports, there are no plans to evict anyone.' The statement adds that access to the waterfall and lake, which has been accessible since the 1950s, had been 'temporarily suspended pending a health and safety review of access routes, trees and open water', but that, if any issues that arise can be addressed 'sufficiently [then] we intend to reopen the area to the public'. This however, has not been enough to reassure locals and protest groups. The source told The Telegraph that Belport Ltd are short-to-medium-term investors, and that they would most likely look to realise value from Bridehead in a few years. But it is not clear how this might happen and whether the estate will then be sold on again in its entirety or carved up and properties sold-off individually. Locals are also not reassured over the issue of access – hence the peaceful Right to Roam protest, which took place under warm sunshine. Protestor Hannah Giles, 71, a retired therapist, says: 'This village means a lot to a lot of people. I know people who have scattered ashes of loved ones who are not going to be able to visit them any more.' Tom Wieczorek, 30, a chemist who had made his way to the protest from Bristol, adds: 'Progressively more and more land is getting locked away from us. 'For me and my friends, getting out and being in beautiful nature is one of the things we enjoy in life. This doesn't set a good precedent for future generations and we must challenge it.' Meanwhile, the protest's organiser, Nadia Shaikh, says removing the access is wrong on moral grounds. 'As a right-to-roam campaign group, one of our methods to raise the profile of land access is to trespass,' she says. 'In this instance, we have had many emails from the public saying they can no longer access this beautiful lake and waterfall. 'This is the problem with permissive access. It can be taken away at the whim of a person – typically one man. Of course the new owners have the legal right to take it away, but to do so is, in our view, morally wrong and deeply sad. 'This is why, in a wider context, we are campaigning for a rights-based system to the natural world, similar to Scotland, where people have access to nature regardless of who owns it.' There are also concerns that even if residents of this historic community are given the option to stay in their beloved homes, rent hikes from modernisation may make them unaffordable. This hardly aligns with Labour's housing policies. 'This situation points to a rural housing crisis that threatens to tear communities apart,' says a spokesman for CPRE, the Countryside Charity. 'Speculative development, along with a boom in second-home ownership and short-term lets, has helped push up rural rents and house prices faster than those in other parts of the country, while rural wages remain much lower. 'The Government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, could improve the situation by tackling the stranglehold of big developers, linking 'affordable' housing to local incomes, and setting meaningful targets for social and genuinely affordable homes.' Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrat MP for West Dorset, Edward Morello, says: 'I have spoken to Belport and raised both the concerns of tenants of the estate and residents of West Dorset. 'The uncertainty has caused unnecessary distress to residents of Littlebredy and I have made clear to Belport that they must do better to communicate their long-term plans for the Bridehead Estate. 'It is right that the residents of Littlebredy have confidence that they are not going to be suddenly evicted, and that local people can visit the beautiful waterfall on the estate. I intend to hold them to both commitments.' But, despite the best efforts from campaigners, it seems time may be running out for this unique community. Sitting in her suntrap of a garden, with views over the rolling Dorset hills, another Littlebredy resident (who doesn't want to be named) says change was inevitable. '[Because] the houses are all on short tenancies, residents only need to be given a few months' notice to get out,' she says. 'But many people have worked on the estate, and everyone is anxious because we are a unique community, no one wants to leave and the investors are being so secretive about their actual plans.' 'It is really very sad that the Williams family is gone, because everyone loved them,' she adds. 'Now we are at the mercy of the investors, and we just have to see what happens. It feels like the end of an era.'
