Luxury wedding venue at centre of planning row

A luxury wedding venue could be forced to stop hosting events if it loses a planning appeal.

Euridge Manor, which last year hosted the wedding of Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson, was refused planning permission to hold events in May 2022.

Neighbours to the Cotswolds estate near Chippenham, Wiltshire, complained about traffic and noise levels during the council's consultation.

An appeal was lodged after the council called on the venue to stop hosting weddings, with the hearing currently under way.

The venue, owned by the founder of fashion brand Jigsaw, John Robinson, applied in 2021 for permission to change the use of land and buildings to host events and build accommodation related to the events business including 10 camping pods and a treehouse.

The application was submitted retroactively, with weddings having gone ahead since 2015 without the correct planning permission.

The venue does however have a license to hold weddings.

'Idyllic location'

The plans attracted dozens of comments from neighbours, who have opposed the venue on a number of grounds including noise, light pollution and traffic.

One neighbour said: "While Euridge Manor Farm was a 'home' it was an idyllic location.

"The recent desire to convert it into a money-making establishment has come at a great cost to me, my family and numerous other residents within this local area."

Another said: "Any further increase in traffic using the narrow lanes would be detrimental to the area, a nuisance to the many walkers, horse riders, cyclists and local young families enjoying a quiet rural location."

Not all the responses were negative however.

One respondent, who identified themselves as a business supplying bar services to wedding parties at the site said: "The venue provides job opportunities to the local people and given its rural setting, the proposals are both sympathetic and in keeping with the area."

Councillor Nick Botterill, cabinet member for development control at Wiltshire Council said: “The enforcement notice was issued in August 2022, but until the planning appeal against its service is determined it is stayed or held in abeyance.

"The owner of the land has chosen to continue the unlawful use in breach of planning control rather than to cease the unlawful use, and they do so entirely at their own risk. The Council cannot progress the investigation until the appeal has been determined.”

Euridge Manor 'will comply'

The Planning Inspectorate enquiry got under way at the end of April, though a decision is not expected to be made for a number of weeks.

Alice Grochowska, venue manager at Euridge Manor, said the enforcement notice meant the venue could decide either to comply with the notice or appeal.

Euridge Manor chose to appeal, which meant the requirement to stop events such as weddings was suspended.

Ms Grochowska added: "If the appeal is dismissed by the Planning Inspector, Euridge Manor will comply with the terms of the decision once it has been able to consider those terms.

"If the council had obtained an injunction or issued a stop notice which it chose not to do, Euridge Manor would have complied with any reasonable request."

She told the BBC that Euridge Manor had never carried out any accommodation building works following the refusal of its planning application, and had applied for the correct planning permission "as soon as it was alerted [...] that might be required".