Villagers in Britain located in a leafy enclave popular with celebrities are very angry with their neighbour a tycoon whose home receives noisy helicopters at least three times a week.
The villagers claim the noise from landing and leaving helicopters has made their lives a total misery.
William Stobart, son of haulage tycoon Eddie Stobart, rents out a helipad on his sprawling farm estate in Over Peover near Knutsford, Cheshire, to a string of wealthy clients.
Stars including former England captain Wayne Rooney have been spotted at the site, while a host of other glamorous clientele are said to have been flown to watch the horse racing at Cheltenham, Royal Ascot and also the Grand National.
Stobart, 62, rents the helipad out to private charter firm GB Helicopters.
But neighbours say the disruption of choppers coming in and out as much as three times a day has been a ‘living hell’.
It is also claimed by local councillors that Mr Stobart, 62, does not have the required planning permission to use the landing pad as a business.
Gardener Alex Oakshott, 37, told MailOnline: ‘They have made my life a misery here.
‘You can hear the helicopters coming from miles off and it’s a right racket when they land.
‘We are very close to the landing pad. It’s awful. It makes me so angry that he’s been allowed to get away with this.’
His mother Alison Gardner, 62, said: ‘It’s made our lives a living hell. The noise is incredible when they take off and land. We’re devastated with all this and so fed up.
‘It has been going on for five or six years – he doesn’t have permission from the council to use his landing pad as a business.
‘But there’s a hangar there and sometimes two helicopters are parked there. We’ve complained but he doesn’t seem to care – it’s outrageous.’
Cllr Anthony Harrison, ward councillor for Chelford on Cheshire East Council, said: ‘We’re in a stalemate position now, where they have more than exceeded their limit of 28 flights within the last 12 months. It will be up to planning enforcement to take the matter further. They’re quite slow getting back to me.
‘There are quite a few of these planning disputes going on, where enforcement have not been taking swift action and have been slow to react. There are a few issues with this landowner (Stobart)’.
He said he spoken to Mr Stobart last August about disruption from flights. Mr Stobart told him that he had taken on a ‘planning advisor’ to handle the case.
He added at the time that he was considering stopping flights with GB Helicopters from the property and just using the pad for personal use.
Mr Harrison insisted local government had the power to enforce planning regulations, but a recent lack of resources and officers had hampered progress, as well as a lack of funds for any potential lawsuit.
He added: ‘It’s very difficult when talking to individuals to find out what the truth is. I was told that GB Helicopters would stop operating out of there in February 2024. Some paddle courts have gone up without permission.’
Asked whether there was a feeling that there was ‘one rule for some people and another rule for others’, he replied: ‘I would agree with that.’
