Yesterday, The Havering Daily exposed the shocking scenes of convoys of lorries pouring onto Green Belt land in Noak Hill. Furious residents contacted us demanding answers, alarmed by the sudden transformation of the field and worried about what was unfolding on their doorstep. We approached Havering Council for comment and they have now issued a full response.
Response from Havering Council:
This Council was very shocked and concerned to hear about the incursion of many vehicles over the weekend at Church Road and Paternoster Row. The land is privately owned and not covered by the Council’s Unauthorised Encampments Injunction. Below is the update from the Head of Planning:
• The site is located north of Church Road, opposite Paternoster Row, and the land is privately owned.
• A part-retrospective planning application has been submitted (reference P1483.25) for a change of use to station 6 pitches for Gypsy/traveller occupation, including 6 static homes, 6 touring caravans and 6 day rooms, with associated hard and soft landscaping. The application is currently being checked for validity.
• A Planning Enforcement Officer visited the location this morning. As a lone worker they could not enter, but observed that the hedge at the frontage has been replaced with a 2-metre close-boarded fence, around 5 caravans are already on site, and a small area of tarmac has been laid. Most of the site remains very muddy.
• The site appears physically capable of accommodating far more plots than those shown on the submitted plans.
• Two Planning Enforcement Officers returned to the site this afternoon to carry out a full inspection and compare what is present on the land against the planning application received.
• Depending on the findings from this visit, it is highly likely that a Planning Enforcement Notice and a Stop Notice will be issued.
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