Martin Clunes has fired off a furious letter to Dorset Council planning officers in a fresh neighbour feud. The Doc Martin star fears Andy Cream and Grace Burger also aim to set up a permanent home just 150 yards from his £5 million property in Beaminster, Dorset.
Furious letter to council
In a sarcastic letter to planning officers, Mr Clunes claimed the pair would be allowed to do "whatever they like" on the land. He wrote: "It seems that this application is the same as the original one made by this couple except that they no longer state that it is essential to their plans that they live at the site."
He added: "I think that it is safe to assume, given the flimsy nature of their business plan that living at the site is their ultimate goal." The actor went on: "From personal experience my advice to these applicants would be to carry on and do whatever they like on the land they have bought. They can ignore any rulings or conditions applied by Dorset County Council as they will not enforce them."
He raged: "At no point will Dorset County Council address, acknowledge or apologise for any lack of action on their part as they are answerable to no one and operate without regulation."
Earlier planning battle
The couple previously lost a four-year battle against New Age Travellers Theo Langton and Ruth McGill, who had lived in a mobile home on a temporarily rolling licence for more than 20 years. The neighbours were later given permission to turn the temporary mobile home into a permanent travellers' site, after they sought consent to remain when the licence expired in 2022.
Mr Cream and Ms Burger initially submitted plans in July 2025 to build a temporary agricultural workers dwelling, but dropped the application after local backlash, including from Mr Clunes. They resubmitted in April with a farm-only application.
Ms Braithwaite previously said the initial application seemed a "roundabout way to get round the planning system so they can eventually convert the barn to a house". She added: "The area is a protected AONB where any planning decisions must protect or enhance the environment - these applications do neither and a large polytunnel and barn will detract from this magical piece of ancient land."
Farm plans and reaction
The applicants say they want to grow more than 100 varieties of seasonal vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers, and deliver them locally to residents and businesses by e-bike. Their proposals include a storage barn, two polytunnels and a greenhouse, with plans saying it would improve the "food security, carbon footprint, health and biodiversity of the local area".
Beaminster Town Council is against the plans, stating that the polytunnels and greenhouse would not be in keeping with the protected rural area. However, dozens of members of the community support them, including Mr Clunes' new permanent neighbours, Mr Langton and Ms McGill. Mr Clunes previously accused Mr Langton and Ms McGill of being "dishonest" over their application.
