Residents in the Essex hamlet of Willows Green may have prevented travellers from building a new illegal caravan site after they confronted and chased off men allegedly posing as broadband workers who were carrying out survey work. Locals were put on high alert last week when it emerged that Edward Myles Anthony Connors, an Irish traveller from a family with a history of unauthorised development, had paid £150,000 in cash for a nearby field.
Background of the Conflict
The community was already reeling from a separate incident where a 12-pitch traveller caravan site was illegally developed on another field just 300 yards away over the May Day bank holiday weekend. Since then, residents have maintained a constant watch over the land and reported any suspicious activity to Uttlesford District Council. Thanks to their vigilance, the council secured an emergency High Court injunction banning any further development on the second field.
On Saturday, Mrs Justice Alison Foster issued a temporary injunction that prohibits Mr Connors and 'persons unknown' from carrying out any form of development at the site without planning consent until a full hearing can take place.
Heightened Fears and Confrontation
Fears escalated last Wednesday when signs appeared by the field indicating that the road next to it would be closed from May 26 to May 31 to allow a water company to connect a water supply for 'drinking troughs for horses.' That same day, a local woman observed a group of men in a white van seemingly surveying the site. She left her home and confronted them while recording the encounter.
In audio obtained by the Daily Mail, a man with an Essex accent claims he is working for a broadband company and that residents should have been notified. He says he will speak to his supervisor and return with paperwork within ten minutes. However, he never returned, and the broadband company confirmed to the Mail that none of its teams were in the area at the time.
The woman told the Mail: 'They looked like they were marking out an entrance but after I spoke to them they just left and never produced any paperwork.' DVLA checks on the pair's vehicle showed it had been untaxed since April 30, and neither man was wearing a uniform. She passed information about the incident to the council before the injunction was granted on Saturday, adding: 'We did it. We told the council everything that had happened near the field and now an injunction is in place.'
Previous Illegal Development
The first plot at Willows Green was illegally developed in a 'military-style' operation that began on May Day. Within hours of the council closing, an army of workers and around 30 vehicles pulled onto the land. Using lights and generators, diggers began turning over grass ready for hardcore and asphalt. This development was part of a trend where travellers build unauthorised developments over long weekends when council enforcement teams are unavailable, then apply for retrospective planning permission to make them permanent.
Uttlesford District Council failed to act to stop the first site despite being warned that travellers were planning to import thousands of tonnes of hardcore to the field. However, the authority has been praised for securing the injunction preventing building work on the second field. Residents had feared Mr Connors or his associates would use the upcoming bank holiday on May 25 as cover to start work.
Council Response and Legal Proceedings
A man living near the original site said: 'You could say the council has learnt from its mistake and accepted it can do something before work starts and jumped on top of this one. I just hope the injunction works.' The council finally served a stop notice against further work on the first field on May 5, but work continued until it secured a temporary High Court injunction a day later. The injunction bans Anthony Mongan and persons unknown from carrying out any further work.
Last week, Mr Mongan submitted a retrospective planning application for a traveller site of 12 pitches, each housing a mobile home, day room, and touring caravan. However, after the planning department requested further information from the applicant, it was withdrawn. Residents claim there has been some further development after the injunction was served.
There was a hearing at the High Court regarding the interim injunction at the first site on Wednesday, May 13. Members of Felsted Parish Council attended on behalf of villagers. The parish council reported: 'It was said that there are 14 families interested in the site and their solicitor said that as her clients were illiterate and so numerous, while she was agreeable for the injunction to be continued she needed to be allowed time to gather her evidence in rebuttal for which a period of a minimum of 6-8 weeks was required. After a brief adjournment, the judge ordered that the injunction continues in place until a new hearing date of 18 June.'
Official Statements
An Uttlesford Council spokesman said: 'The circumstances at the two sites were legally different. In the first case, the council did not have sufficient evidence of an imminent breach to justify pre-emptive court action before works began. However, once activity occurred at the first site, along with further information on the second site, this provided clear evidence of a credible and immediate risk of further unauthorised development in the area. That change in circumstances meant the legal threshold for urgent injunctive action was met. As a result, the council was able to apply to the court, and an injunction relating to the second site was granted on Saturday. The council continues to monitor both locations and will take proportionate and lawful action where the evidence supports it.'
An Affinity Water spokesperson said: 'Affinity Water is aware of a request for a new water connection at this location. As a water company, we have a legal duty to provide connections where a valid application has been made. We do not have powers to make judgements on land ownership or planning matters. We have not received any formal instruction from the local authority or other relevant bodies to prevent the connection from going ahead. We continue to work with local partners and will comply with any legal requirements or directions provided to us.'
