Poole Millionaire Fined For Illegal Clifftop Pool House

In the affluent coastal enclave of Canford Cliffs, Poole, Dorset, a clash between luxury development and environmental stewardship has come to a dramatic conclusion. Bill Buckler, a millionaire property developer, has been handed a hefty £20,000 fine for the unlawful removal of 28 trees from a clifftop site and the construction of an illegal pool house—actions that authorities say have left permanent scars on one of England’s most sensitive natural habitats.

The saga began in February 2021, when Buckler secured permission from Natural England, the government’s conservation watchdog, to fell the trees. The official reason? Conservation. Buckler told the agency that removing the trees was necessary to prevent cliff erosion and to improve the habitat for sand lizards, a rare and protected species that finds refuge in the area’s sandy slopes. According to The Independent, sand lizards are among the UK’s most threatened reptiles, and the Poole Bay Cliffs Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is a critical stronghold for them.

But not everyone was convinced by Buckler’s conservation credentials. Neighbors quickly grew suspicious, noting that soon after the trees were cleared, construction began on a luxury garden pod and an infinity pool perched on the newly exposed cliff edge. Local residents voiced their concerns, arguing that the real motivation was to enhance views from Buckler’s property and to pave the way for a high-end development, rather than to protect lizards or stabilize the cliff.

As construction activity ramped up on the protected site, rumors of unauthorized excavation reached Natural England in early 2022. The organization dispatched investigators for site visits in May and September, and what they found confirmed the neighbors’ worst fears. According to The Daily Mail, Buckler had commenced significant building work without the proper permissions, including digging deep into the cliff to install underground concrete pillars for a 60-foot-wide garden room with a rooftop balcony—hardly the profile of a modest conservation project.

Natural England’s representatives were unequivocal in their condemnation. Nick Squirrel, speaking for the agency, stated, “Had the works, already carried out, been the subject of the legally required consultation process under the planning and conservation legislation, I have no doubt that both Natural England and the council would have raised strong objections.” He went on to explain, “The effect of the unauthorised construction works carried out in the SSSI have destroyed a part of the geological features for which the SSSI is notified. It is apparent that these features are now lost and that the unauthorised piling works and construction activity is of a nature which may not be undone without raising greater risks to both the lower geological formations and the structural stability of the cliff face as well as visitors using the promenade and beach huts below.”

Despite warnings from both Natural England and the local planning authority, Buckler pressed ahead with excavation and construction until February 2023. Only after a direct order during a site visit did the work finally halt. By then, the damage was done. The agency concluded that the geological features—layers of rock, sand, and fossilized flora dating back thousands of years—had been irreversibly harmed. The prospect of undoing the illegal works, Squirrel warned, would only destabilize the cliff further and endanger beachgoers below. “Pulling all the pillars and concrete out will create instability in the cliff. Leaving it as it is, we think is the best thing,” he said, as reported by The Independent.

The penalties soon followed. In March 2025, Buckler was fined £8,812 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), and a further £11,187 for enforcement costs recovery—bringing the total to £20,000. Not one to accept defeat quietly, Buckler took his case to the High Court, arguing that the penalty was “disproportionate and manifestly excessive.” He insisted he had been “open and co-operative” with Natural England throughout the process. Yet, the judicial response was swift and damning. Judge Anthony Snelson, presiding over the case, found “nothing of substance in any of the individual points of appeal which we have examined...this is an appeal which is notably free of merit.” The verdict, as outlined by The Daily Mail, left no room for doubt: Buckler’s actions had been both unauthorized and damaging, and the penalty would stand.

Buckler’s ambitions in Canford Cliffs were never modest. In October 2019, he purchased a 1960s bungalow in the area for over £3.1 million. Since 2020, he has been overseeing a £10 million development project to replace the old house with four luxury homes, keeping one five-bedroom mansion for himself and selling the others. The development sits atop the Poole Bay Cliffs SSSI, a site protected for its unique coastal habitat and geological history—remnants of a time when the Isle of Purbeck and Isle of Wight were a single landmass.

The case has sparked wider debate about the tension between property development and environmental protection, especially in areas designated as SSSIs. Squirrel emphasized the need for strict setbacks and careful planning to prevent erosion and safeguard both the natural landscape and the safety of people below. “Our concerns really relate to the situation on Bournemouth cliffs, there’s a number of slippages going on at the moment. The policy is to keep development set back to prevent erosion and to protect the beach huts and people at the bottom,” he told The Independent.

The Poole Bay Cliffs episode serves as a cautionary tale for developers across the UK. The case underscores the importance of adhering to conservation and planning protocols, particularly in environments where a single misstep can have irreversible consequences. While Buckler’s pool house may offer sweeping views of the English Channel, the cost—both financial and environmental—has proven steep.

In the end, the ruling stands as a stark reminder: in the battle between luxury and legacy, the law is clear—nature, at least in this corner of Dorset, takes precedence.