An aristocratic landowner and friend of the royals refused a £2million offer for a field to be turned into affordable homes – because they would ruin his view.
David Smith-Ryland was approached by developer Rosconn over plans to build 50 houses on a field on his vast estate.
The 56-year-old claims a figure of around £2million was suggested for the five-and-a-half acre field on his estate near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.
Mr Smith-Ryland – whose family have lived on the estate since 1837 – said he rejected the offer because he didn’t want to ‘block’ his view of a historic stable block.
The area made headlines in 2015 when his brother Robin, who shares the family estate and owns land at nearby Sherbourne Park, hosted a controversial ‘lifestyle’ festival that was branded a ‘swingers’ event’.
David Smith-Ryland, 56, has refused a £2million offer for a five-and-a-half acre field at his estate in Warwickshire which a developer wants to turn into affordable homes
Mr Smith-Ryland says the homes would ‘spoil his view’ of the historic Barford Hill Stables, pictured
His father Charles Smith-Ryland is a former Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire and would host the royals at their estate.
He said: ‘I am not interested in applying for planning permission on the land because of the negative impact any development would have on the landscape in the area, including blocking the view of the attractive old Barford Hill Stables.
‘It would have impacted upon the view of the Stables which, even though they’ve been developed and enlarged, they are nonetheless still attractive.
‘If the field was developed, it would block the view of the old stables from Hareway Lane.
‘There’s a need for housing all over England but it must be appropriate and not inappropriate.’
Mr Smith-Ryland and his older brother Robin, 61, own and run the family’s sprawling 2,000-acres of rolling countryside straddling the River Avon.
His brother hosted 500 guests in 2015 at the four-day Effrenata Lifestyle Festival.
Mr Smith-Ryland’s (pictured) father Sir Charles was former Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire and would host members of the Royal Family at their estate
The area previously made headlines when Mr Smith-Ryland’s brother Robin, pictured, hosted a controversial ‘lifestyle’ festival on his land at the nearby Sherbourne Park estate
The event, pictured, was described as a ‘swingers’ festival’ by locals who branded it ‘disgusting’
Speaking at the time, a parish councillor branded it ‘disgusting’ and said: ‘There are people who come for a quiet life and they do not expect to have this sort of thing. It is taking over the village without our permission or consent.’
Tickets reportedly cost as much as £179 and activities on offer included ‘bondage al fresco’, ‘Roman orgies’, whipping and a ‘porn wall’, with security guards employed around the perimeter.
At the time Robin Smith-Ryland dismissed the concerns as ‘not a big deal’ and said no one ‘could see what was going on inside the tents’.
Mr Smith-Ryland rents much of his 775 acres to farmers and dog walking businesses while Robin, a colourful Old Etonian and huntsman, lives in Sherbourne Manor north of the River Avon.
In an intriguing twist, Warwickshire-based developer Rosconn claims Mr Smith-Ryland approached them about the possibility of selling them the land.
According to Rosconn, Mr Smith-Ryland contacted them regarding a possible sale of a field in Hareway Lane, in the picturesque village of Barford.
The land sits just outside a conservation area making it attractive to potential developers for its proximity to junction 15 of the M40.
A Rosconn spokesman said: ‘David Smith-Ryland approached us about doing it.
‘We had a call from David who asked us to explore it. We had a chat with him, but never made any formal offers.
‘He decided he didn’t want to do anything. It was a strange one. No valuations, no technical work was done at all.’
Mr Smith-Ryland later said he halted the deal because he felt it was ‘inappropriate’
Mr Smith-Ryland, who lives in a farmhouse on the estate, admits an approach was made to Rosconn but said the deal was halted because it was ‘inappropriate.’
He added: ‘They (Rosconn) said we could put it out to offers from building companies and thought I could probably get about £2 million.
‘My agents were wanting to be the middle man and I told my agent I wasn’t interested and they said ‘look, let’s get Rosconn on board and see what the offer is.’
‘I think they were hoping they would persuade me.
‘I’m not anti-development, I’m anti-inappropriate development.’
Mr Smith-Ryland’s brother Robin is no stranger to controversy in the area, particularly over a ‘lifestyle’ festival previously hosted on his share of the estate at Sherbourne Park.
A local housing group have stressed the need for more affordable homes to be built in Warwickshire.
Kim Slater, chief executive of Warwickshire Rural Community Council, said: ‘The site in question would be a developer-led site and the district council is purely saying any percentage of a development needs to be affordable.
‘We aren’t doing anything like that in Warwick district at the moment and haven’t for a while, we tend to operate most successfully in Stratford district.
‘There is absolutely a need for affordable housing, any time we do a housing needs survey we are uncovering a need for affordable housing, we specifically work in rural areas so that need is quite acute.
‘Particularly in the south of the county, where if you look at household income versus household prices, it’s up around eight times the household income.
‘Then when you get into the affordable side of the spectrum, which tends to be the cheapest 25 per cent of houses versus the lowest 25 per cent of household income, that ratio goes up to about 14 times.
‘It means that housing is in effect unaffordable for the vast majority of people in rural communities.
‘Even though we are producing small schemes to meet local needs, they are nowhere near meeting the overall need.’
Campaigners stressed there was an urgent need to develop land into affordable housing near David Smith-Ryland’s sprawling estate.
Developer Rosconn said Mr Smith-Ryland contacted them about a sale and they only had ‘informal’ conversations
Kim Slater, chief executive of Warwickshire Rural Community Council, said: ‘The site in question would be a developer-led site and the district council is purely saying any percentage of a development needs to be affordable.
‘There is absolutely a need for affordable housing, any time we do a housing needs survey we are uncovering a need for affordable housing, we specifically work in rural areas so that need is quite acute.
‘Particularly in the south of the county, where if you look at household income versus household prices, it’s up around eight times the household income.
‘It means that housing is in effect unaffordable for the vast majority of people in rural communities.’
Councillor Peter Phillips, who sites on Warwick District Council, said: ‘Our biggest problem as a council is finding land for development.
‘We have the money but the biggest problem is land.
‘(David Smith-Ryland’s land) is private owned land, we do not own land ourselves apart from plots for small garages.’