Residents have been left furious after travellers defied a notice from the council to continue unauthorised works on greenbelt land over the Bank Holiday weekend.
The group moved on to the privately-owned site near Greensward Lane in Rochford, Essex, on Friday and soon started digging up turf without planning permission.
It came just hours after the local council closed for the long weekend, meaning the travellers could carry out works for almost 24 hours without intervention.
Rochford District Council eventually issued a temporary Stop Notice on Saturday, though less than two days later locals reported that works were still underway.
Video footage posted to Facebook showed around a dozen caravans and trucks pitched up near diggers and torn up turf at the site.
It marks the latest example of a wider trend which sees travellers carry out land grabs while council enforcement teams are away from work. The groups then often apply for retrospective planning permission once construction has already been carried out.
One resident, who lives near Greensward Lane, said: ‘It’s worrying. Since Friday, it’s been horrendous. On Saturday there must have been 20 lorries from various companies.
‘It’s been a horrendous weekend. We heard them working on it all night. Our concern is about them doing this illegally. You shouldn’t carry on if there is a stop order.
Residents have been left furious after travellers started unauthorised works on greenbelt land in Rochford, Essex, on Friday
More than a dozen caravans, diggers and trucks were seen parked up at the site over the weekend
‘They just came along and did what they want.’
Another, who preferred not to be named, fumed: ‘If they had planning permission it wouldn’t be a problem, but they have zero planning permission. Everyone else has to abide by the planning rules.
‘They have been working there all night on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It’s heartbreaking for everyone who lives in the area.’
It is thought that the landlord of the site granted the travellers permission to carry out the works, though planning approval would still have been required for them to begin.
The council said officers visited the site to assess the situation and issued a temporary Stop Notice requiring all work to stop immediately.
It added the notice had been served to builders at the site and officers in attendance to collect evidence, with police present when it was served.
Reform Leader of Rochford District Council, Adi Malviya, said: ‘The Council are aware of unauthorised development on privately owned land at Lower Road/Greensward Lane.
‘This is a planning enforcement issue, which means the same procedures cannot be used as they would be for an unauthorised incursion on council land.
‘The Council are treating the matter as a breach of planning legislation and officers visited the site on Saturday to assess the situation and a Temporary Stop Notice was issued. A Temporary Stop Notice is a legal notice, which requires all work on site to stop immediately. We are also investigating further action we are legally allowed to take and will continue to monitor the site.
‘There is a legal process the council have to follow and as we are sure people appreciate, it would not be appropriate to publicly release all of the details of the specific planning enforcement activity currently taking place.
‘I would like to thank council officers and Essex Police for their assistance over the bank holiday weekend.’
Essex Police are continuing to monitor the site on a daily basis, though it confirmed that the matter is a civil issue.
Further action will be considered under planning law, while council officers said the site would continue to be monitored.
It comes on the same week that a group of travellers who bulldozed over a wildlife spot in another Bank Holiday land grab applied for retrospective planning permission.
Residents of Willows Green – only 20 miles from the site in Rochford – were left horrified in May when the group bulldozed over a local wildlife spot.
Using lights and diggers, an army of workers and around 30 vehicles began turning over grass ready for hardcore and asphalt.
There was no council response until more than four days later despite a Daily Mail article earlier warning that travellers were plotting a land grab.
A High Court injunction was eventually issued preventing any further work at the site following an intervention from Uttlesford District Council.
But now, more than three months later, the travellers are seeking permission to put 12 mobile homes on the field near Felsted.
One resident fumed: ”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?’
Essex Police was approached for comment.
