A resident in St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe says his neighbour is ruining the Area of Outstanding Beauty and breaching planning conditions.

Miles Thompson, of Station Road, said he has lived with the sound of chainsaws cutting logs, dumped scrap metal and bonfires burning commercial waste on land which borders his garden for nine years.

He has complained to the district council and has piles of paperwork detailing breaches of planning conditions set on the neighbour’s barn.

He said: “I’m totally exhausted at nothing being done. It’s been nine years now this has been going on. It just continues as usual.

“People have said sell up and move but we have got the family history here and spent money on the house.”

Mr Thompson, 49, claims his neighbour, Nigel Claringbold, who owns a construction business, brings JCBs on the land and has turned a section of green space into a hard-standing area where waste is continually dumped and burned.

A planning application for a change of use to store agricultural and building equipment at the barn in Millfield was approved by the planning committee at Dover District Council in April this year.

Mr Thompson claims this was approved despite the owner of the barn being issued planning contravention notices in 2011.

Speaking at the time, Mr Thompson opposed the plans and said activities at the barn had already caused “intolerable disruption”.

However, conditions such as opening hours and the kinds of machinery were placed on the change of use.

Mr Thompson claims this has already been breached with burning waste and log cutting taking place late at night when his children are trying to sleep.

The chartered surveyor, who works in London, has been forced to spend “tens of thousands of pounds” on hiring a solicitor and planning officer to investigate.

He has taken pictures and videos of the breaches and presented them to the council.

During this time, Mr Thompson was diagnosed with cancer and said the stress took its toll on his health, and his family.

Now he is calling on the council to finally take action and make sure that the conditions of the application are enforced.

A DDC spokesman said: “Although we cannot comment on the details of individual cases, we are aware of these issues, and we continue to look into this matter.”

Mr Claringbold could not be contacted as the Mercury went to press.