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Earlier this month, Martin Clunes<\/a> was appearing on a red carpet in London alongside his fellow stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi for the UK premiere of Wuthering Heights.<\/p>\n On Thursday, the actor was to be found in the rather less glamorous surroundings of a county hall in the English West Country to hear councillors rule against him in a long-running dispute with a family of new travellers.<\/p>\n Members of Dorset council voted to allow Theo Langton and Ruth McGill to stay permanently on a plot of land down the lane from the home of Clunes, who meanwhile has won plaudits for his portrayal of the cruel Mr Earnshaw in Emerald Fennel\u2019s hit reimagining<\/a> of Emily Bront\u00eb\u2019s novel.<\/p>\n Langton and McGill have lived in the idyllic spot on the edge of the town of Beaminster for more than 20 years<\/a>. The site includes a caravan, workshop and a mobile van they use for travelling to festivals and shows selling their art, jewellery and metalwork.<\/p>\n They define themselves as \u201cnew travellers\u201d and asked Dorset council for permanent planning permission<\/a> to live at the site, which they own.<\/p>\n Clunes and his wife, the TV producer Philippa Braithwaite, have long argued that the couple are not entitled to live there and are not Travellers in law.<\/p>\n Over the years there have also been accusations that the Langton and McGill home has a detrimental impact on the stretch of countryside and concerns that the lack of mains water may pose a health risk.<\/p>\n Clunes and Braithwaite attended the county hall in Dorchester on Thursday to hear council officers and members of the western and southern area committee decide<\/a> on the application.<\/p>\n The planning officer Bob Burden said the council was satisfied that Langton and McGill were Travellers journeying around the country selling pieces they made on site. He also made the point that the council could not find enough spaces for Gypsies and Travellers on sites it owned and ran.<\/p>\n Burden said the impact on the landscape was negligible as the spot was largely hidden by trees and the nearest properties were sufficiently far away.<\/p>\n