How a South African billionaire is turning a corner of Somerset into ‘one man’s estate’
Koos Bekker’s Newt estate encompasses luxury hotels, pubs and high street business, with local concerns including floodingWhen South African billionaire Koos Bekker bought an old country estate in a sleepy corner of Somerset to turn it into a luxury…
‘Contract between humans and river’: Bristol Avon’s rights enshrined in charter
River charters part of wider movement establishing ‘moral’ framework to protect nature and hold institutions to accountOne Monday morning in spring last year, 12 people gathered in the morning drizzle at Joyce’s Pool, one of the sources of the Bristol…
‘You can taste the land’: the Somerset farmer bringing wildflowers back to cheddar
Tom Calver has sacrificed milk yields to give his cows a more varied diet of plants and believes the result is better cheese and richer farmlandIn the rolling hills of Somerset, hundreds of thousands of cows placidly munch lush green grass to produce…
Houses can be built on floodplains despite failing safety test, says high court
Decision to allow development of 190 new homes in north Somerset sparks campaign for change in the lawHouses can be built on floodplains even if they fail a crucial safety test, according to a high court judgment that will be of “immense interest” to…
Warwickshire ‘in the groove’ as County Championship destiny calls
Going into the last round 11 points clear, the bowler Olly Hannon-Dalby is confident the favourites can clinch the titleOlly Hannon‑Dalby, 6ft 7in of medium‑fast heritage craft, has just come out of training at Edgbaston. The last round of…