Traveller family fight to stay on site at Enborne

An Irish traveller family trying to move on to a site near Enborne in order to send their children to school have appealed against the council’s attempts to remove them.

They were given an enforcement notice to quit the patch of land on Enborne Row after gravelling over the surface and moving their caravans and mobile homes on to the site in over a bank holiday weekend in June.

The Doherty family say they want to move to the village to send their children to school.

They have since applied for planning permission to change the use of the land, which is currently labelled as an equestrian property, into a mixed residential and equestrian property.

But West Berkshire Council, after objections from some locals, pinned an enforcement notice to their fence.

It said the erection of fences, laying of hard standing, installation of above ground pipes, a subterranean cesspit, soakaways, tanks, chambers and water tap standpipe was not legal.

And it said they had to move on and remove all the works and the fences.

The land was previously unused waste land, which the applicant, Charlie Doherty, had fenced, removed the debris, put up new stables, gates and surface.

The appeal against the enforcement notice is on the grounds that planning permission should be granted, and that the enforcement is excessive, with insufficient time to comply.

The appeal will be determined by an inquiry by the planning inspectorate.

A planning application to change the use of the site is now lodged with the council, which makes note of the lack of available traveller pitches in West Berkshire.