Council goes to High Court over illegal travellers’ site fears in Lambourn Woodlands

WEST Berkshire Council has gained a High Court injunction to thwart an illegal travellers’ site.

The order prohibits the creation of hardstanding for caravans and mobile homes and the installation of associated utilities with the intention of creating a residential site on land off Ermin Street in Lambourn Woodlands.

The interim injunction names Thomas Stokes, PCS Homebuild Ltd, Christopher Smith and persons unknown as the defendants.

A statement provided on the council’s behalf told the court: “I believe that an injunction is needed because there is, on balance, a likelihood that Mr Stokes purchased the land with the intention of using it as a travellers’ and/or caravan site and had been clearing the land to facilitate the bringing on of caravans.”

In October Mr Stokes pleaded guilty to operating a caravan site at Bath Road, Beenham, without the appropriate license.

He was fined £600 and it was ordered that the multiple caravans housing travelling families be removed.

The council statement added: “Mr Stokes needs to move residents off his site at [Bath Road] by the end of the month...which makes it more likely that he will move his tenants into the Ermin Street Stables site.

“Mr Stokes plainly has a disregard for planning and other controls and complying with requirements.

“His use of the [Bath Road] site breached planning control; he has been prosecuted in connection with that site; his use of the site has necessitated intervention from the fire brigade and other enforcement agencies.”

In January last year this newspaper reported how West Berkshire Council planners refused retrospective permission for a nearby site on land west of Four Acres Yard and south of Ermin Street, stating it had damaged an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The applicants were required to restore the land.

However, they successfully appealed to the planning inspectorate.

In an apparent attempt to prevent a repeat at the Ermin Street Stables site, the council sought the pre-emptive injunction.

The application concluded: “Ultimately the injunction is being sought to prevent further works from being undertaken and to apprehend the anticipated breach of planning control by preventing the stationing of residential caravans on the land.”

West Berkshire Council’s executive member for planning and community engagement, Tony Vickers, said: “We are committed to taking early action to prevent potential planning contraventions and will be returning to the High Court...for another hearing to extend the injunction.”

The full injunction hearing resulted in the interim order being extended for one year.