Surrey town becomes latest victim of traveller 'land grab': 'Illegal' site appears in woodland
A town in Surrey has become the latest victim of the traveller 'land grab' after woodland was chopped down to create an encampment off a quiet country lane over Easter weekend.
Residents in Burpham, Guildford, were left furious after seeing men in hi-vis jackets installing a gate and fences - with drone images showing overgrowth and trees replaced by hardstanding inside the site.
It comes as travellers also made 'land grabs' in Sunbridge, Kent and Flamstead village, Hertfordshire, over the Easter bank holiday weekend, when they thought council officials would be slow to react, it is understood.
A business owner in Guildford, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed residents in Burpham are mostly worried about the impact on wildlife as the trees continue to disappear.
He said: 'So far they have just been making it into a stable area, getting rid of the trees and walling it off.
'We have no details, nobody really knows what is happening. It is all a bit sudden, we are still trying to piece it together.
'The tree clearing is what has upset most people. It is pretty bare there now. In Guildford wildlife is the first concern.'
The local claims that the traveller group bought the land, which is by an industrial estate, a few months ago, but they do not have permission to build on it.
The area of land that's been stripped of trees and fences erected by travellers at Clay Lane in Burpham, Guildford
A caravan pictured at the site at Clay Lane in Burpham, Guildford
Residents in Burpham, Guildford, were left furious after seeing a men in hi-vis jackets installing a gate and fences
Work takes place at the piece of land at Clay Lane in Burpham, Guildford
It is claimed that that the traveller group bought the land, which is by an industrial estate, a few months ago, but they do not have permission to build on it
He says that the residents are still holding out hope that Guildford Borough Council will step in, as he says they have with previous attempts to settle nearby.
He added: 'I think everyone is just waiting to see if it will be permanent or not. Right now it is just the construction workers there. We are about five metres away from it.
'I have spoken to a few of the construction guys but even they don't know what is happening or how permanent it will be. At face value they are saying it is all legit.
'Obviously nobody is hoping for this. We have got some of the neighbours already all over the council on it so they will be aware by now.'
A Facebook user added: 'That's definitely going to be a traveller site, all geared up for works over the long Easter weekend.'
Guildford Borough Council (GBC) said: 'We are aware of the work carried out at the weekend on a site in Clay Lane, Burpham.
'We are investigating as a priority - council officers have visited the site and are completing background work to gain a full understanding of the situation.
'This will inform our next steps.
'We take all planning breaches extremely seriously. If a breach of planning control is confirmed on any site in the borough, we have several enforcement options.
'We are required to follow the legal process, which can take time, but we remain committed to taking action and pursuing every enforcement route available to us.
'As with any unauthorised development in the borough, we will continue to follow the required legal processes to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.'
Cllr George Potter, the representative for Burpham, said: 'Planning permission has not been granted for the development, and SCC has not granted permission for vehicular access onto the highway at this location.
'GBC planning enforcement will be actively investigating this unauthorised development, and will need to follow the normal legal process that is applied to any unauthorised development.
'Unauthorised development is a civil matter, not a criminal one, and legal enforcement can take a long time, because of the lengthy legal process.
'The development appears to be being carried out by the landowner, and therefore has to follow the same process as if someone was building something without permission in their back garden.'
On Thursday, more than a dozen caravans moved into another plot of land in Surrey when travellers transformed a rural field into a 17 plot 'gated community' in the village of Alford.
Residents in Surrey reported thinking it was strange when they saw people they didn't recognise measuring the widths of the road on Wednesday, April 1.
But just a day later it became clear as to why - when 30 to 40 grab lorries containing pipes, wood, aggregate, and steel arrived to create an entire community on the land.
Working day and night over the Easter weekend, 21 caravans and five static homes were brought to the site.
The battle Surrey locals now face is the same in Kent and Hertfordshire, where 'land grabs' by travellers also took place over the Easter weekend.
Pictured: the site of a 17-plot community in Alford, Surrey, where travellers descended last weekend
A total of 21 caravans and five static homes were brought to the site, which was constructed quickly over the bank holiday weekend
An aerial view of the new site in Sundridge, Kent, which features a static caravan, mobile home, a smaller caravan and other vehicles
Residents in Sunbridge, a rural stockbroker belt in Kent, accused police of 'aiding and abetting' a group of travellers after they turned up, paved over a field and blocked a country road until 4am on Easter weekend.
The family descended on Sundridge under the cover of darkness on Friday, using diggers and machinery to convert the green space into a hardstand caravan site.
But their plans came to a temporary halt on Sunday when a three-bedroom static caravan loaded onto a lorry became wedged in a major country lane in the village, infuriating locals who couldn't get past.
Fuming residents called the police and went out onto the road in an attempt to block any vehicles getting access to the field - leading to one local being arrested.
Meanwhile, in a beauty spot in Flamstead village, Hertfordshire, furious residents had their village 'invaded' by traveller families setting up camp by tearing up the land with bulldozers and diggers.
The first batch of caravans followed suit a few days later on Easter Sunday morning, as council officials were off for the bank holiday weekend.
The group laid down huge squares of concrete on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), surrounded by rolling fields and woodland.
The travellers launched their land grab over the Bank Holiday weekend in the hope that council bosses would be slow to react, it is understood.
