Illegal travellers camp built on the sly is told to pack up and leave Buckinghamshire village site

An illegal travellers camp built sneakily over a long weekend in defiance of a High Court injunction is to be dismantled after 'flouting' the rules. 

Planners had recommended the half-built site be granted retrospective permission due to a 'shortfall in the supply of gypsy and traveller pitches in Buckinghamshire'.

But locals had complained that it would encourage more illegal sites to pop up  around the county and raised concerns they had been subjected to threats and intimidation from people living at the camp.

And councillors yesterday denied the application and demanded the illegal site be shut down immediately. 

It prompted the Tories to call for new laws to stop retrospective planning permission being granted to any traveller site that has been built without authorisation.

Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Local Government and Communities, Katie Lam, told the Mail: 'Nobody should be able to flout the rules just because they belong to a particular group.'

Workmen began laying hardstanding for caravans on green belt land in Ashley Green, Buckinghamshire, at 9.30pm on Thursday, April 2, just hours after planning enforcement officers had left for the bank holiday weekend.

A day later, Buckinghamshire Council issued a temporary stop notice ordering the works to cease. After this was ignored, the authority secured a High Court injunction preventing any further development or occupation of the site.

The applicant, Keith O'Donoghue, had already asked for permission for two pitches, each with a mobile home, a touring caravan and a day room, but no decision had been made before the work started.

An earlier application for a similar development was rejected in 2024.

Despite Mr O'Donoghue's blatant disregard for planning laws, council planning officers argued that policy changes introduced by Angela Rayner when she was Housing Secretary had created a 'material change' in the legislative backdrop.

Under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), green belt land can be categorised as 'grey belt' if it has previously been developed or is not considered to be of particular value.

The planning agent for the travellers told a meeting yesterday that his clients had started work without consent because they needed somewhere to live.

But Conservative councillor Martin Tett noted that, under government policy, the fact that work had begun without permission should be given 'substantial weight' when considering a retrospective application.

The development was part of a trend in which travellers carry out unauthorised developments over long holiday weekends, when enforcement action is less likely to be taken before works are completed.

They then apply for retrospective planning permission in a bid to make the developments permanent.

But the council's planning committee has now voted to refuse retrospective planning permission for the Ashley Green site. 

Conservative MP Katie Lam added: 'Buckinghamshire's Conservative council was right to swiftly stand up for the interests of local people and stop travellers taking over this green belt site.

'Conservatives would ban retrospective planning permission for unauthorised traveller sites, ending the scandal of asking forgiveness rather than permission.'

In a letter to planners before yesterday's decision, local Lib Dem MP Sarah Green said her constituents had complained of intimidation and 'threats of violence' from people living at the site.

Villagers had insisted that rubber-stamping an illegal site would have opened the floodgates to more unauthorised developments.

When works on the site began in April, Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning, said the authority would 'use the full extent of the law to protect our area from harmful unauthorised development'.

'Our officers worked tirelessly throughout the bank holiday period to gather evidence, issue enforcement notices and secure an urgent injunction within hours,' he wrote.

'People cannot simply ignore planning rules because it suits them, and this swift action demonstrates exactly how seriously we take any breach. We will continue to monitor the site closely and will pursue further legal steps if required.'

Members of Ashley Green Parish Council said the illegal development had caused 'immense distress' to villagers.

Mr O'Donoghue has a right to appeal the decision before any enforcement action is taken to clear the site.

Cllr David Moore, chairman of East and South Buckinghamshire Area Planning Committee, said: 'I can confirm the Committee refused the planning application at Hog Lane, Ashley Green.

'The decision was made after carefully considering the planning officer's report, comments from local residents and other interested parties, and the details of the proposal itself.

'Committee members concluded the application should be refused for a number of reasons, including concerns about the suitability of the location and the transport impacts of the development.

'The Committee also considered the site's planning history and the circumstances surrounding the unauthorised development. A formal decision notice setting out the full reasons for refusal will be published.'