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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Chiara Fiorillo

Family face financial ruin after neighbours buy lane and 'refuse to let them out'

A family of four living on a farm faces constant threats from their neighbours who bought the access lane to their home and say they cannot pass through it.

Matthew and Charis Watkinson bought the land in Newport, southwest Wales, in 2011 and, in 2016, made a planning application to build a sustainable home for their family.

However, since then Matthew say there was a fallout with their neighbours Ian and Vivienne Ward, who bought the land which provides access to the farm.

According to the Watkinsons, the retired couple then began threatening to sue them for trespassing each time they drive through the road to go home.

Mr Watkinson told The Mirror: "We weren't expecting people to buy this bit of land as it is a right of way.

"The access lane runs past their house and a bit further."

Beeview Farm is a 3 acre site in Pembrokeshire, Wales (Matthew Watkinson)

Mr Watkinson said relationships with their neighbours have always been "unpleasant", but constant threats since they bought the access lane have made their lives much more stressful.

The father-of-two added that the worst part of the tensions is that he feels like his neighbours want to "get rid of our kids", who go to school in the area and love their life at Beeview Farm - a 3-acre site in Pembrokeshire.

He said his younger son Billy has never lived in any other place as the family were already based on the farm when he was born.

The family have a sustainable, environment-friendly lifestyle (Matthew Watkinson)

The Watkinsons were surprised at first as they were not expecting their neighbours to buy the access lane and claim they are trying to stop them accessing their farm as "they only want sheep" in the area.

And Matthew fears some neighbours have taken a dislike to the sustainable project - and the family's success.

The home is eco-friendly and allows the family to live sustainably (Matthew Watkinson)

Back in 2016, the Watkinsons joined the Welsh One Planet Development Planning Policy - a scheme adopted by the Welsh government that provides an affordable and sustainable way for people to live and work on their own land, aiming to bring social, economic and environmental benefits.

The scheme allows families to build houses on green-belt land, as long as they operate on zero carbon. The idea is that, when households reduce their own ecological footprints, this in turn helps the country reduce its overall footprint.

And the family's off-the-grid lifestyle allows them to live with just such a low ecological footprint.

Matthew and Charis at home (Matthew Watkinson)

Mr Watkinson said: "We feel like we're doing a pioneering project, which is fulfilling and rewarding.

"We want to show that an off-grid life with a low environmental footprint is possible."

On their farm - that was built from scratch by Matthew and Charis - the two parents and their children grow fruit and vegetables, brew nettle beer and take baths in a homemade wood-fired hot tub.

Charis filling the Sloshing Machine - the family's sustainable washing machine (Matthew Watkinson)

They also have a hand-powered washing machine and a gas cooker that functions on horse manure.

The only electrical items the family have are a TV, mobile phones and a small fridge-freezer.

Their kids Elsa, eight, and Billy, five, regularly join their parents on the farm to help them with agricultural tasks including planting veggies and fruit, as well as picking them when they are ripe.

Charis and Elsa with their chicken (Matthew Watkinson)

After starting their project, the family had five years to prove that they could reach their targets and live sustainably, in order to keep their planning permission.

However, Mr Watkinson said his neighbours bought the access lane as they were "unhappy" that they reached their target.

He explained: "Some neighbours have taken a dislike to our project and there was a fallout over our planning application.

Their home is part of the Welsh One Planet Development Planning Policy (Matthew Watkinson)

"Our neighbours, who were unhappy that we hit our target, managed to buy the land to get access to the farm."

Despite tensions with their neighbours, the Watkinsons are living on the farm as normal because there is no court injunction at the moment.

However, they fear their neighbours will take them to court and they cannot afford legal fees due to their lifestyle.

Elsa in the home-made wood-fired hot tub (Matthew Watkinson)

The couple launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for to employ a solicitor and a barrister to defend their land.

The Watkinsons are urging anyone who regularly uses the historical roads to and from Carningli Common on the lanes around Castle Hill to contact the council in a bid to have the roads officially registered as public rights of way so that they can be used without being threatened with court action.

The couple, who previously worked as vets in Essex but moved to Wales to live more a sustainable life, said: "The current owners are trying to turn these ancient rights of way into permissive rights of way so they can deny some residents and visitors access along them.

Billy and Elsa with their dad Matthew (Matthew Watkinson)

"This is unacceptable. These routes need to be protected for all current and future generations."

The family added: "Public rights are being lost all over the place (see Dartmoor) and we'd like to apply to have all these ones officially recognised before they're removed by our neighbours.

"They've already locked one gate to stop people using an old path to the common land!"

The family grow their own food (Matthew Watkinson)

Their GoFundMe appeal says: "Hello, we are Matthew, Charis, Elsa and Billy Watkinson and we live on Beeview Farm.

"Beeview Farm is a 3-acre site in Pembrokeshire, Wales. We were granted planning permission through the Welsh One Planet Development Planning Policy.

"This policy requires us to have an agricultural business, build a zero-carbon dwelling, grow most of our own food, and live with a low ecological footprint.

Elsa with home-grown pumpkins at Beeview Farm (Matthew Watkinson)

"Our neighbours bought our access lane and are now threatening to sue us for trespass and harassment to stop us farming and living in this way.

"Due to our low-impact, off-grid lifestyle we do not have the funds to pay for legal defence, and so we humbly ask for any amount you can donate that will go directly towards the legal costs involved in the process."

Charis and Matthew have raised £13,200 of their £10,000 goal. They said: "Thank you again to everyone who has donated so far.

"We're quite overwhelmed, to be honest. Thank you."

The Watkinsons brew nettle beer at home (Matthew Watkinson)

Mr and Mrs Ward could not be reached for comment, but The Mirror has approached their solicitors.

Pembrokeshire County Council did not comment on the story.

A Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority spokesman told The Mirror: "Pedestrian access on the lanes around Castle Hill to Carningli Common is permitted by the landowner and managed by the National Park Authority.

"The registration of public rights of way along these lanes would be a matter for Pembrokeshire County Council to investigate, as they are the local highway authority with the legal responsibility for such matters."

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