A millionaire entrepreneur behind a luxury cinema chain is locked in a battle with villagers after applying to convert a barn into a boutique hotel. Daniel Broch, who founded the Everyman Cinema Group, wants to convert the 59ft by 26ft concrete structure in upmarket Blakeney in Norfolk. As well as three or four guestrooms, the new building would include a farm shop and office.
Local Opposition
But locals are opposed as they argue it would ruin spectacular views over salt marshes that sit within the North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest, due to the wildlife the area attracts, and is classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Objectors include a woman who complained: 'We're not very keen on it at all, it's just about developers versus the AONB. You can see it from here, you can see it from the coast path, you can see it from out on the water, you can see it from [the neighbouring village of] Cley.' Another local warned it would have a 'devastating impact' on the landscape.
Blakeney Parish Council also voiced concern, saying the hotel would damage the 'special qualities' of the AONB. Others pointed out it was the third attempt by Mr Broch, 58, to change the use of the barn. The first was in 2016, when the application was withdrawn. The parish council later commented it was 'difficult to overstate the feeling' in the community against the plan. A further attempt was made five years later but was turned down after North Norfolk District Council said it would have a negative impact on the AONB. An appeal against that decision was thrown out in 2022 after a planning inspector said the scheme would cause 'substantial harm' to the area.
Latest Application
Undeterred, Mr Broch has made his latest attempt to turn the barn into a commercial site, using permitted development rules. It stands next to a campsite where up to 50 pitches for tents and caravans were recently approved by the council, despite locals objecting. One commented: 'Does Blakeney really need a campsite in such a prominent position on AONB agricultural ground?' Mr Broch's partner, Lisa Lipscomb, 52, runs the campsite and would be his partner in the hotel. Both spots stand on land that comes within the boundaries of Agar Farm.
The couple had hoped the 14-acre field would eventually contain a home and a nature-friendly small-holding but have been eyeing up the business possibilities after that was turned down. 'Everything we're doing in that project comes from the heart,' Mr Broch said previously. 'We're trying to create something we're proud of as a legacy of ourselves and a legacy for our daughters, who want to remain connected to the area. We've all lived in different places for the last couple of years, which is one of the reasons to develop Agar Farm. It gives us all a place with meaning.'
The site in question is opposite an imposing property called Bliss Blakeney, which the couple sold for £6 million in 2022 after getting permission to demolish a 1960s house ten years earlier. The luxury home, which came with its own cinema and swimming pool, was described by agents Savills as 'one of the most outstanding coastal houses to come to the North Norfolk market in recent years'. It was bought by prize draw firm Omaze, which raffled it off in 2023 and gave a portion of the profits to charity.
Further explaining his attraction to north Norfolk, Mr Broch said: 'What we're talking about is a love story about a girl who took a chance on a boy years ago and brought that boy back to the place where her heart was - which was Norfolk, where she grew up. The two of us became four and the backdrop to that story was the Norfolk coast.' Mr Broch, who was contacted for further comment, founded the Everyman Cinema Group in 2000 after buying a struggling venue in Hampstead, London. It now runs 49 sites, although he stepped down in 2008 to pursue other ventures. The district council was also approached for a statement.
