Dragons' Den star ordered to tear down 'anti-vaxxer sanctuary’ in Peak District
A former Dragons' Den star has been ordered to tear down a controversial 'anti-vaxxer sanctuary' in the Peak District.
Rachel Elnaugh, who starred as an investor in the first two series of Dragons’ Den, is part of a group who purchased a 70-acre plot of protected land in the area last June.
The group, called Phoenix Rose, planned to turn the area into a ‘safe haven from the threat of humanity’ including a self-sustaining ‘food apocalypse-proof site’.
In a prospectus, their intentions for the land also included ‘forest bathing, shamanic wisdom and natural healing’.
Former Red Letter Day founder Ms Elnaugh raised nearly £1 million from investors to buy the land in Cressbrook Dale, Derbyshire, close to where she is from.
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But now she has been ordered to tear down structures, such as teepees, a car park and steps that have been installed, after they were built without planning permission.
Rachel was the first female investor on Dragons' Den (BBC)An official enforcement notice issued by the Peak National Park Authority has reportedly been issued.
The document, seen by Derbyshire Live, states that changes to the site “failed to respect or enhance the character of their surroundings”.
It added the structures had a “significant harmful effect on the character and appearance of the landscape”, which is mainly made up of ancient woodland.
Ms Elnaugh is now one of five landowners who have been ordered to reverse the changes made to Cressbrook Dale as none had been granted planning permission.
The Mirror has reached out to Ms Elnaugh and the Peak National Park Authority for further comment.
One of the teepees built on the land in Cressbrook Dale (Derbyshire Live)The group have the opportunity to appeal the decision before it takes effect on May 22, 2023, but it is unclear at this stage if they will.
Plans for the site have angered locals and even led to them forming a protest group called ‘Save Cressbrook Dale’.
John Butler, chair of the campaign, said: “We hope this enforcement notice will ensure that the land it restored and that further development does not take place.”
He previously said of Ms Elnaugh: “The original intention that was expressed was to establish a self-sufficient eco-community on the land.
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"They had a million-pound business plan in order to bring that to fruition, which included quite a lot of infrastructure that they were going to install, including wind turbines, greenhouses and polytunnels, alongside £90,000 worth of movable structures.
"So at that point, it looked like they were building a settlement on the land. However, it was clear right from the outset that the land is simply not fit for that purpose.”
Comparing the group to a ‘cult’, he branded Ms Elnaugh a ‘very persuasive speaker imbued with the full range of conspiracy theories’.
Angry locals aren't happy about the group wanting to turn it into an 'anti-vaxxer sanctuary' (Twitter)Ms Elnaugh became a celebrity of sorts when she appeared on the BBC game show Dragons’ Den, where she competed to invest in new businesses alongside her fellow dragons.
The businesswoman, who was initially the only female investor, founded Red Letter Days in 1989 which became a whopping success with a turnover of £18m.
But the company later went into administration in 2005 and she was awkwardly 'forced out' of the show after her own business failed.
Since then she aired her controversial views on the Covid vaccination programme - and sparked outrage when she , calling jabs of 12-15-year-olds "child abuse".
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