In the picture-perfect Suffolk countryside, where narrow lanes wind between ancient hedgerows and medieval churches, a storm has broken over one of England’s most picturesque estates.
At its centre stands Cockfield Hall, the 16th-century mansion now owned by Jon Hunt – billionaire founder of Foxtons Estate Agency and one of Britain’s most successful property magnates.
For years, Mr Hunt has been quietly shaping an ambitious £80million vision for the estate: a transformation into a luxury country-house hotel, part restoration, part reinvention.
His supporters say the project would breathe new economic life into this neglected corner of Suffolk, generating millions of pounds in tourism revenue, attracting high-spending visitors and securing the long-term future of a heritage site which has seen decades of decline.
The Colchester-born tycoon, worth an estimated £1.345billion, has already sunk tens of millions into his neighbouring hospitality retreat, The Wilderness Reserve, which has become a magnet for celebrities seeking rural seclusion.
Singers Rita Ora and Cheryl Tweedy and comedian Jack Whitehall are among those who have stayed in its exclusive lodges.
But the future of Mr Hunt’s grand design and its promise of prosperity is now threatened.
Local councillor Julia Ewart is so determined to derail the project she has set up a new political party to challenge it.
Pictured: Cockfield Hall, the 16th-century mansion now owned by Jon Hunt, the billionaire founder of Foxtons Estate Agency and one of Britain’s most successful property magnates
Mr Hunt (pictured) has £80million plans to transform his estate into a luxury hotel – but these could be thwarted by a local NIMBY who has formed a ‘political party’ to stop him
The formation of the new East Anglian Alliance Party – currently midway through registration with the Electoral Commission – has exasperated locals and other councillors.
But Councillor Ewart, a former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate who defected to the Independent Group on Suffolk East Council and now leads the EAA, is unrepentant.
Shrugging off accusations of NIMBY-ism, Councillor Ewart says local council planners are not tough enough and she is objecting to increased traffic, noise pollution from events, fears for wildlife habitats and concerns that the development will set a precedent for further expansion.
She said: ‘It’s an incredibly intense situation with many moving parts. It’s just incredible what is being allowed to happen. I’m incredulous.
‘The suite of works is amazing. All a very high quality but very, very intrusive.
‘Yet it looks as though East Suffolk council is going to waive through permission and also permission to demolish an historic wall.
‘I’ve been to planning meetings where the council officer appears to be speaking on behalf of Jon Hunt, not the council or local residents.’
The EAA is backed by another Suffolk hospitality entrepreneur, Marcus Pearcey, but little else is known about its structure or reach.
Councillor Julia Ewart (pictured) said she is objecting to increased traffic, noise pollution from events, fears for wildlife habitats and concerns that the development will set a precedent for further expansion
Foxtons Estate Agents, founded by Colchester-born tycoon Jon Hunt who is worth an estimated £1.345 billion
Mr Hunt’s plans included a huge basement for his classic cars. He previously reduced the number of storeys in the proposed basement from four to two in an attempt to appease neighbours
Locals say Councillor Ewart is effectively running a one-woman crusade, firing off objections, publishing lengthy critiques of the project and positioning herself as the lone political counterweight to one of Britain’s richest men.
At one point, after accusing Council planners of a lack of ‘probity’, the council referred itself to the Local Government Planning Advisory Service.
Planning officials were cleared by the taxpayer-funded independent investigators but the refurbishment of Cockfield Hall by Mr Hunt was delayed.
Conservative Councillor Paul Ashdown said: ‘This is exactly the kind of investment we need.
‘It will create jobs for local people and help secure the long-term future of these historic buildings.’
The Grade I listed hall set in 76 acres was bought in 2014 by Mr Hunt, who is worth £1.4billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
The tycoon’s neighbouring Wilderness Reserve has become a magnet for celebrities seeking rural seclusion
The development is set to provide a 50-bedroom luxury hotel and become a key feature of his evolving holiday and hospitality business.
So far, he has poured in many millions — on restoration works, architectural plans, heritage studies and early-stage infrastructure.
Supporters say the refurbishment could launch Suffolk as a rival to the luxury country-house destinations of the Cotswolds or the New Forest.
One employee on the Hall’s estate in Yoxford, who wants to remain anonymous, said: ‘My livelihood and that of many others relies on a vibrant rural economy and investment. We can’t live in the past.
‘That one rogue councillor should put local jobs and future job creation at risk beggars belief.
‘She left the Lib Dems, then the Independents.
‘Now people are saying she’s set up her own political party just to fight the Cockfield Hall development.
‘And she’s doing it with help from another Suffolk hospitality businessman. You couldn’t make it up.’
East Suffolk Council refused to comment but Clive McNish, the manager of Wilderness Reserve, said ‘This investment will generate a host of new jobs for the community and grow our local and regional supply chains.
