‘Not welcome!’ Village wages war on plans for new holiday resort

The tiny population of Huntingfield, a 150-person strong village in East Suffolk, have been small but mighty in their vocal efforts to oppose a billionaire entrepreneur's plans to build a £30k-a-night holiday venue in their backyard. Luxury holiday farm Wilderness Reserve has sought planning permission to construct a near 300-person-capacity venue which naysayers have described as an "all-singing, all-dancing" entertainment hub.

Blyth Barn would be based on the Valley Farm estate, a retreat popular with celebrities including Zoe Sugg and Jack Whitehall, and an application includes plans to obtain a 24-hour alcohol licence, something villagers say would significantly dirsupt their countryside idyll. While the project has yet to be green-lit by the local authority, Huntingfield villagers are pulling no punches in having their voice heard, with a number of signs recently erected in the area bearing the decisive message: "Wildnerness Reserve not welcome here". "Our tiny, once tranquil jewel of rural Suffolk peace and harmony is now in chaos and its residents are all terrified of what will happen next," one neighbour told the Eastern Daily Press.

Lori Kingsley Adams, 61, who has lived in the area for eight years, said: "We feel as if we've been disregarded and unconsidered, all in the name of money.

"We're a very old village and a small farming community [and] we were pleased when the application went through for the Valley Farm site, as the old gothic farmhouse has been in disrepair for the last 40 years.

"We thought the idea of a rural retreat would be a really good thing for the village ... then we're told they want to turn it into an entertainment centre. It will be larger than our village."

Nina Roe, 39, added: "Nobody has considered the knock-on effect this will have on traffic, light pollution, noise or the wildlife.

"Guests will be moving down into the village, coming into the pub - nobody in the venue can stop that."