DOWNTON Abbey writer Julian Fellowes has waded in to a planning battle to speak out against proposals to build a housing estate next to a country manor that inspired Thomas Hardy.

Lord Fellowes, president of the Hardy Society, has written to planners to object to the proposed 120 home development earmarked for land next to Wolfeton House at Charminster.

The historic house once belonged to the Trenchard family whose name provided inspiration for the character Michael Henchard in Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge.

Lord Fellowes said he could not 'stay silent' any longer when Hardy's heritage 'is under threat'. He said the development would 'destroy a major element in Hardy's story'.

The 68-year-old peer, who lives at West Stafford, added: "To destroy the context and setting of a great and ancient house is really to destroy the house, itself."

There are a growing number of objections to the development that will be on agricultural land south of Westleaze (below).

Dorset Echo:

As well as about 100 local residents, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Landmark Trust have opposed the plans while Natural England has expressed its concerns.

Developers Land Value Alliances have submitted a planning application to West Dorset District Council for the estate that would consist of 35 per cent affordable housing.

Council planners have recommended the development be approved not least because there are 1,570 people on the council's waiting list for affordable housing.

A committee meeting to decide the matter will be held next month. The matter was previously deferred by the planning committee which called for a site visit before members make a final decision.

It will be the first time in 400 years the landscape surrounding Grade I listed Wolfeton House, pictured below, would change if it went ahead.

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Before Hardy's time, Wolfeton House was visited by Sir Walter Raleigh and King George III during his stays to nearby Weymouth.

And in the 16th century it provided safe refuge for Archduke Philip of Austria and his Spanish wife Joanna of Castile after their ship was forced into Weymouth harbour by storms.

In a quintessentially English letter, Lord Fellowes apologised to council planning officers for having to object to the proposals.

He said: "I am afraid that, these days, the sight of my name on a letter to the planning department must be greeted by a low groan but as the president of the Hardy Society, I don't think I really have the right to stay silent when his heritage is under threat. I hope you can forgive me.

"It is true that Wolfeton House figured largely in Hardy's life, providing the model for settings in several stories and lending the name of the family who then owned it, the Trenchards, to the Mayor of Casterbridge, one of Hardy's most celebrated novels.

"But, quite apart from Hardy, it is also a historic place in its own right, probably the most historic in this part of Dorset, which may have been slightly overlooked.

"Once the new estate is built, the magic of the surroundings is gone and cannot ever be restored.

"I fully grasp you must find sites for more housing and in fact you have other developments going on which no one could object to.

"Can you please think again and find a place that does not destroy a major element in Hardy's story or dent our local history."

The Landmark Trust, which was set up to save historically important buildings, said: "The proposed residential development will result in present and future generations being unable to enjoy a scene that will not have significantly changed for the last 500 years until now."

The Campaign to Protect Rural England said there are 'very strong planning grounds for rejection', while Historic England have stated 'we are not convinced this application can be achieved without heritage harm'.

Wolfeton House is owned by Captain Nigel Thimbleby, a retired army officer and relative of the Trenchards, and his wife Katharine.

They have claimed that Hardy, if he were here today, would be 'appalled' at the plans.

At a previous planning meeting, Alex Bullock, a representative of the applicant Land Value Alliances (South West) said the application is recommended for approval and planning permission should be granted.

He also explained that there has been no objections by the highways authority, despite residents' concerns over an increase in traffic and questions over safety.