Travellers have waged a fresh series of Bank Holiday land grabs, with diggers and bulldozers tearing up fields and cutting down trees while council offices were closed. Patches of countryside in West Sussex, Kent, and Lincolnshire were the latest areas targeted by unscrupulous developers over the three-day break, to the dismay of locals.
West Sussex Site Tarmacked Over Weekend
Work involving heavy machinery started at a site in the picturesque village of West Chiltington, Horsham, on Friday and carried on throughout the weekend. Aerial images reveal that a large proportion of the field has since been tarmacked over, with a number of mobile homes seemingly ready to move in. This follows a trend where travellers purchase land, often in leafy parts of the Home Counties, before setting up unauthorised sites. Planning permission is then sought retrospectively, with travellers often granted the permanent right to stay because of an 'unmet need for pitches'.
One local in West Chiltington claimed that despite the council and police being present at the site on Friday, the 'unauthorised' work carried on regardless. 'We believe it is a traveller site. There were lots of lorries and other vehicles. The local council and police were here then, but the work carried on,' they said. Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had seen lots of vehicles coming to and from the field. 'They started on Friday and there have been lots of vehicles. You can hear the work is still going on. I've not seen any planning notices go up,' he added.
Kent and Lincolnshire Also Affected
In West Malling, Kent, locals claim they have fallen victim to a traveller 'land grab' following a burst of development at a nearby site. Workmen were seen clearing trees, cleaning the site, and removing boundary screening on Friday. Although one traveller denied there were any plans to build over new land, the Daily Mail revealed that another mobile home was moved onto the site on Monday. One local said, 'The new unit came on site last night (Bank Holiday Monday). The council will not visit until tomorrow and it is obvious from the road that this is now a breach. Another bank holiday land grab.'
The land in the Stockbroker Belt village of West Malling was bought by the travellers for just £105,000 at auction in 2020. Over a series of weekends, caravans, mobile washrooms, a septic tank, and dog kennels were illegally installed. Although the council issued an enforcement notice in 2021, the decision was successfully appealed, and permission was later granted in December last year. Due to the development, the land is now classified as 'Grey Belt' and could be worth as much as £1.4 million, according to property website Zoopla. Locals told the Daily Mail their 'treasured greenbelt land has been transformed into a lucrative asset for those who flouted planning laws'.
One neighbour said of the burst of development on Friday: 'We think they're gearing up for a land grab. We will do everything we can to stop them. We're keeping a close eye on what they're doing. We're on alert. Their work is substantial so far. They've done whatever they want so far and got away with it, so there's nothing to stop them doing it again. There's plenty of space on there for more caravans or mobile homes.' Another local added: 'It looks like they're moving fencing and the boundary. This is worrying. They're removing trees and foliage which I think could be for more caravans to arrive. The noise has been constant. We're all on alert to this. We have told the council, it can't be allowed to happen again. We know it's just before the bank holiday, so the council will be closed and the police won't do much.'
Denying the claims, one of the travellers told the Daily Mail on Friday: 'What's it got to do with anybody? That's quite nosey isn't it? I can say definitely there's not going to be a Bank Holiday land grab. There won't be more travellers.'
Other Sites Across the Country
Travellers also moved onto other sites across the country over the weekend. In Grimsby, Lincolnshire, locals complained that travellers had bulldozed down barriers and set up camp at Weelsby Woods. Images show a number of caravans currently stationed at the site. It is understood that barriers had previously been installed to prevent unauthorised access. In Netherseal, Derbyshire, travellers created a fresh pitch on Saturday, with static caravans reportedly already on site. It is located just a mile away from another traveller site at Clover Park, which is currently the subject of a planning battle with the council over plans to expand it.
Illegal Pitches Advertised on Social Media
Elsewhere, some travellers are blatantly advertising illegal caravan pitches for sale on social media despite having no planning permission. One Irish traveller is offering a 'yard for sale' on a site with room for 20 families that was constructed without planning permission in Reading, Berkshire, last year. This was despite it being under a High Court injunction, which prevents any occupation or further development, meaning there are potential prison terms for any breaches. The site is on land south of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston. A High Court temporary injunction, restricting further development and additional residential occupation, was secured in December with a full hearing listed next month.
Despite this, in a caption alongside images and video of the unauthorised pitch, the man, who has the Facebook name 'John New', wrote: 'Yard For Sale Reading, 100ft by 60ft wide. All fenced off and front fence panels is there to be put up and fully hardcored.' He insisted that 'water and electric [is] being done soon' and 'all paid for.' The blurb described it as a 'very good location' for families that was 'within a mile' of a small town with 'shops, garages and schools'. Regarding concerns over the injunction, he was optimistic, adding: 'Court been put back until June looking very good. Courts already paid for. Planning being submitted. Call for anymore details.' Several people posted in the comments that they were interested and asked for details on the price.
The Mail called him on the number on the advert to ask about the pitch. The man, who originates from Tuam, Galway, a town with one of the biggest traveller populations in Ireland, said: 'I don't know anything about it. I don't know the price. I just put the advert up for a friend who doesn't have Facebook, so I will pass him your number.' The advert was removed from his Facebook page almost immediately after our phone call on Thursday.
Context and Reactions
Historically, traveller families who have developed sites without planning consent, often over bank holidays, have gone on to argue they had been forced to act due to a lack of space on legal sites. They often claim to have invested their life savings and acted out of 'desperation' due to having nowhere else to live. But the sale of pitches across social media suggests some sites are straightforward moneymaking schemes. The Daily Mail has contacted Tonbridge and Malling Council and Horsham Council for comment. A spokesperson for Sussex Police said with regard to the site in West Chiltington: 'Can confirm officers attended to prevent a breach of peace, in support of the local authority as the lead agency.'
