UK authorities crack down on unauthorised caravan encampments across England

An unauthorised encampment of three caravans and six vehicles set up in Stevenage's Hampson Park has been removed. Stevenage Borough Council and partner agencies responded quickly, and the encampment moved on peacefully.

Authorities from the South Downs National Park and Winchester City Council conducted a three-day operation to remove caravans, mobile homes, sheds, and other unauthorised structures from an agricultural field in Soberton. Multiple enforcement notices and a High Court injunction were ignored over the past decade. The land has been cleared of debris to allow natural regeneration.

Caravans and other unauthorised structures are being removed from farmland on Long Road in Soberton as part of an ongoing planning enforcement case. The operation is being carried out jointly by the South Downs National Park Authority and Winchester City Council. Authorities have arranged hotel accommodation for occupants and provided shaded areas and water for animals. Previous enforcement actions at the same location include a 2023 court case resulting in a suspended prison sentence for breaching an injunction.

A High Court injunction has stopped work on private land at Barrows Farm Cottage, next to Harlow Town Football Club. Harlow Council obtained the order on June 12, within 24 hours of learning about the activity. The site was being prepared for several caravans without planning permission. Council leader Dan Swords stated a zero-tolerance policy toward unauthorised development.

Tandridge District Council has secured a High Court final injunction against unauthorised development on land at Hill View Manor Park, also known as Highview, on Beech Farm Road in Warlingham. The judge ordered the land cleared of static caravans and restored to its original state, except for four gypsy and traveller pitches granted planning permission in 2019. The orders target 25 named defendants, with compliance deadlines ranging from three months to one day. The judge described the breaches as 'clear and flagrant' and praised council officers for their 'careful and measured' testimony.

Tandridge District Council obtained a High Court injunction requiring the removal of 20 unauthorised static caravans from a site in Warlingham, Surrey. The final order was issued against 25 defendants at Hill View Manor Park. The judge mandated land clearance and restoration, except for four gypsy and traveller pitches approved in 2019. Compliance deadlines range from one day to three months, depending on the defendant.

A caravan owner in Winsford has been served with a court order to leave land owned by Cheshire West and Chester Council. The caravan has been parked off Blakeden Lane since April 14, nearly two months. The council secured a removal order from magistrates; non-compliance may result in an unlimited fine, seizure of the caravan, or imprisonment.

The High Court in London has granted a year-long injunction against the use of land in Cambridgeshire as a residential caravan site without planning permission. A temporary injunction was issued on May 24 after work began to lay hardstanding on a rural plot west of the Gypsy and Traveller community at Moor Drove, near Cottenham. Five caravans were present when the order was served on May 25; by the hearing on June 3, the number had risen to 17. The new injunction requires the removal of 12 of the 17 caravans and prohibits further development on the site, which lies within the Cambridge Green Belt.

The High Court has extended an injunction against development on land near Moor Drove in Histon, Cambridgeshire, requiring the removal of all caravans brought onto the site after an interim order was served. The Greater Cambridge Shared Planning compliance team reported 17 caravans on the land, while only five were present when the interim injunction was served. The year-long injunction prevents further development or additional caravans.