Guy Ritchie’s neighbours are up in arms after the film director’s plans to create holiday flats at his historic Dorset airfield were approved.
Locals accused the Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director of creating an “aviation theme park by stealth” by converting staff accommodation at Compton Abbas Airfield into Airbnbs.
Residents said that Ritchie was expanding commercial operations “by any means” with no consideration for the local environment.
They claimed that the ultimate goal could be a hotel on the sensitive site, within the Dorset National Landscape and part of the Cranborne Chase International Dark Sky Reserve.
Since buying the airfield in 2022, Ritchie has opened a smokehouse restaurant and re-routed a 130-year-old public footpath. He offers Spitfire flight experiences and has transformed the airfield into a popular visitor destination.
His plans for two holiday apartments – one two-bedroom and one four-bedroom – have now been approved. These will allow guests to stay overnight for flying experiences during the day.
The airfield has had permission for a flat for live-in staff since 2005.
Locals argued that this was for a member of staff to live on site to provide “security and safety”.
But Dorset Council disagreed and said there was no planning reason to refuse the re-use of the building.
”The owner has been open that they are seeking to generate additional income streams for the airfield, which would have personal gain, this is also considered to bring economic benefits to the area,” planning officer Jamie Francis said in a statement.
“Overall, the re-use of the building for tourist accommodation in place of staff accommodation is considered acceptable.
“A condition has been applied to ensure that the accommodation is used for short-term lets only and not for permanent residential accommodation.”
The statement went on: “The conversion of one unit of staff accommodation and one office unit to two units of holiday accommodation is considered acceptable.
“In addition, two units of accommodation to two units of holiday accommodation are considered acceptable.
“Therefore, the Council see no reason to refuse the application on this basis.
“The impact of holiday accommodation is anticipated to have a negligible impact on neighbouring amenity, air pollution, and the overall business of the airfield and flight activities.”
The airfield is near Ritchie’s Ashcombe Estate on the border of Dorset and Wiltshire.
He previously shared Ashcombe House with ex-wife Madonna and now he and wife Jacqui split their time between their London home and the country estate.
He has hosted celebrity friends there, including David Beckham and Robert Downey Jnr.
Neighbour Christopher Dymond said the regular flying events caused a nuisance and disturbance to neighbours and likened going into his garden to “walking onto a Second World War film set”.
Mr Dymond said: “Compton Abbas Airfield, until recently, was a polite small grass airfield run for local flying enthusiasts and was managed carefully to reflect the incredibly sensitive location and the proximity of local villages.
“The airfield now is run on a much more commercial basis and largely by stealth is morphing into an aviation theme park with numerous events, shows and visitor attractions.
“The nuisance and disturbance to local residents has increased significantly and many of the historic planning restrictions governing the airfield are not being adhered to.
“Often, on a summer weekend, entering your garden is like walking onto a Second World War film set with noisy historic aircraft constantly flying overhead.
“The current apartment was only allowed on the basis it was an absolute necessity for a member of staff to be on site for safety and security reasons.
“If this safety and security requirement is no longer a necessity there are provisions in the planning legal agreements for the use to cease, not for it to be opened up for paying visitors to stay on the site, without any staff presence.”
Philip Cayford, a neighbour and member of the Compton Abbas Airfield Monitoring Group, said: “It began as a small private strip capable of hosting up to six small aircraft.
“It has long since been accepted that the original permission was a planning mistake; councils since that time have accepted the need to curb the expansion pushed for by successive owners.
“The current application would appear to be a further attempt to increase the size and profitability of this site by any means with no regard whatever for environmental issues or the inconvenience to local residents.
“Approving this application would constitute one further step in the commercial development of one of the most beautiful and sensitive rural landscapes in southern England, and as such is quite inappropriate.”
The Compton Abbas Airfield website now provides a link for people to register their interest in staying at the site.
“Our on-site Accommodation will be available to book very soon,” it reads.
