Tiny village in fight for its life over billionaires plans for luxe development: Our close community has been ruined

Villagers have said they’re fighting a “David and Goliath” battle against a billionaire entrepreneur’s plan to create a huge $37,200-a-night wedding venue on their doorstep.Residents in Huntingfield, Suffolk, which has a population of just 150, claim the “all singing, all dancing”‘ entertainment center, which could hold 288 people, will destroy their rural idyll.The location, known as Blyth Barn, is part of luxury holiday firm Wilderness Reserve owned by Jon Hunt, founder of estate agency Foxtons, and visited by stars such as Zoe Sugg and Jack Whitehall. However, the venue, which includes professional chefs and spa therapists on site, has angered locals who say it has gone “too far.”They are particularly concerned about the approval of a 24-hour alcohol license, the effect on local traffic and late-night disturbance. At the end of last year, the business applied for a premises license at its latest development called Blyth Barn on the Valley Farm estate.Proposals for the venue to serve alcohol 24 hours a day were approved by East Suffolk Council earlier this month.An extraordinary general meeting of Huntingfield Parish Council on Thursday, Jan.30, saw 50 objectors turn up to discuss the “biased” application.The Wilderness Reserve has also sought “part retrospective” planning permission to reconfigure three approved holiday lets into a single guest house known as Blyth Barn.Once finished, the 17-room property will have a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, gym and party room.Lorraine Brennan, 61, and Nina Roe, 39, are two villagers who have objected to the plans.They said residents had initially been informed there were plans for a “rural retreat” that have now spiraled into the entertainment venue.They are concerned that their “tranquil and peaceful village would be destroyed” by visitors who may overspill and cause nuisances in the village.They also had worries about drunken behavior, drug taking and a lack of security.“We feel as ...