Travellers who bulldozed a wildlife spot in Essex on May 1 have now applied for retrospective planning permission for 12 mobile homes, nearly four months after the move. The group arrived with 30 lorries and ripped up grassland on a four-acre field in Willows Green, near Felsted, just hours after the local council closed for the Bank Holiday.
Site and application details
The site is home to great-crested newts and rare albino fallow deer, and locals said they watched in horror as it was mowed down. The travellers have now submitted a retrospective planning application to Uttlesford District Council, despite a High Court injunction preventing further works on the site.
The council confirmed the application was validated on August 26, seeking a change of use for 12 gypsy/traveller pitches. The request covers mobile homes, touring caravans, day rooms, access roads, utility infrastructure and landscaping.
Council response and enforcement
The council previously ordered works on the site to be halted and sought a High Court injunction to prevent any further development. Constituent MP James Cleverly said: "Uttlesford District Council say this changes nothing on enforcing the injunction in place. Good. This cynical build now – apply later attitude should never work."
One resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "The law needs to change because these groups are taking advantage of bank holidays. Why should we have to deal with all this upset and then find out they do know they need planning because they put a retrospective application through?"
Local concerns and impact
Local Tracy Williams previously spoke of how some neighbours had been "threatened" by the travellers and had been scared to leave their homes. She said: "You see this happen in other locations and you think: 'I'd hate for that to happen here' - and lo and behold, out of nowhere, its happening. They've been threatened and are scared to come out their homes. This is not acceptable."
Tracy said Willows Green was "the most beautiful countryside", with dog walking routes, house riding ways and quaint pubs. Felsted School, a boarding school known for alumni such as Oliver Cromwell's four sons, sits just three miles away.
Tracy said the field had been up for sale and was only permitted for agricultural use. Concerns were raised after it was sold by a farmer to a real estate company for £125,000 and marked into smaller plots. She added: "We feel we've been let down by the people who should be helping and supporting us. We pay our council taxes and we submit our planning in the right way. Doing nothing is not helpful - we should be proactive not reactive. There are loopholes in the law that allows the travelling community to do this. They're entitled to homes and spaces and they deserve to be treated with respect. But they need to do it in the same way back to us."
