# ‘Chuckling’ landowner reveals he made more than £200,000 selling out to incoming travellers to spite his neighbours and is now travelling the world

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/chuckling-landowner-reveals-he-made-more-than-200000-selling-out-to-incoming-travellers-to-spite-his-neighbours-and-is-now-travelling-the-world/
- Published: 2026-11-14T15:46:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T16:03:17+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16290389/landowner-200-000-travellers-neighbours-Harefarm-council.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- A Hampshire farm was sold to travellers for more than £200,000.
- An unauthorised encampment followed over the August Bank Holiday.
- The former owners say council restrictions led them to sell and travel.

## Summary

Matthew Silvester and his wife sold their eight-acre greenbelt farm in South Warnborough, Hampshire, to travellers for more than £200,000. The sale was followed by an unauthorised encampment, with caravans and mobile homes arriving over the August Bank Holiday weekend, deepening tensions with nearby residents.

The couple said council restrictions on their cabin and utilities made it impractical to keep their pig farm running, so they closed the business and went travelling. Silvester acknowledged that neighbours had objected to the farm and said he chuckled at the outcome; residents had previously said they felt unsafe and worried about their homes’ value. The article says planning permission may be sought retrospectively for such sites.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.
