A group of travellers have provoked outrage after they razed a field on greenbelt land without planning permission and turned it into a gravel car park – in just 72 hours.
Diggers and excavators moved onto the plot, in the village of Burtonwood, near Warrington, Cheshire, and started the unauthorised work over the Bank Holiday weekend last month.
They covered half the field in hardcore and also erected a 10ft-high wooden fence around the boundary.
It is understood the travellers bought the six-acre site legitimately and the sale went through on Friday May 23. Work began just hours later, at 6pm that evening, and villagers reported excavators and tipper trucks working through the night to remove soil and replace it with concrete, completing the job in less than three days.
Before and after aerial photographs show the extent of the destruction and more than a dozen caravans and other vehicles have since moved onto the site.
Although a retrospective planning application has now been submitted to Warrington Borough Council, local councillor Stuart Mann confirmed an investigation had been launched following complaints from local residents, who say the land is green belt and should be for agricultural use only.
Mr Mann said he had received ‘hundreds’ of emails and more than 50 people turned up at his surgery to express concerns about the development.
He confirmed planners had issued an enforcement notice to the travellers but admitted the issue could take weeks to resolve.
Before and after: Diggers worked through the night to transform the field in Burtonwood village, near Warrington, Cheshire, into a concrete caravan park in less than three days
Councillor Stuart Mann, who represents Burtonwood on Warrington Borough Council
Cheshire police and Scottish Power, who supply electricity to the area and investigate unauthorised attempts to tap into the mains supply, have also been informed, he said.
‘I have met with the chief executive of Warrington Borough Council and the MP for Warrington North to raise our ongoing concerns regarding the development on Farmers Lane,’ he said.
‘I have received, from borough council planning and enforcement teams, that a retrospective planning application has been received, but that it is yet to be validated.
‘Any such application has to be determined on its relative merits. This will take a number of weeks.’
Nigel Catlow, vice chairman, of Burtonwood and Westbrook Parish Council, described it as a ‘very serious and fast-moving issue.’
In a letter to the council, he said: ‘The landowners appear to be in serious breach, making the most of the Bank Holiday and the council being on a long weekend. ‘This is of great concern to many residents and council taxpayers in Burtonwood and the wider area of Warrington West.’
Locals took to social media to express their concerns, with one saying: ‘The transformation is shocking.’
Another, Jacqui Worrall, wrote: ‘Breach!?.. it’s a s****** concrete jungle!!!!’
While Ray Houghton added: ‘Blame the person who sold the land to them in the first place. The people doing this have no respect for the laws.’
Mr Mann said it was ‘important for it to be known the people who have done this own the land.’
‘Concerns have been raised and the council needs to ensure that necessary checks and balances have been put in place,’ he added.
A spokesman for Warrington Borough Council confirmed that it had ‘established a priority enforcement case’ over the situation in Burtonwood.
‘We have received a report about a potential breach of planning on land off Farmers Lane in Burtonwood and are currently investigating the issue.’
Cheshire Police have been approached for a comment.
