Angry residents say a beauty spot in the Cotswolds has been destroyed by travelers who bulldozed their way into a place they don’t have permission to live in, despite the council trying to prevent this for 17 years.
People in Kayte Lane, a rural spot below Cleeve Hill, in Southam, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, feared for years that the unauthorized occupation of the land would take place before it finally happened in May last year.
And they claim authorities haven’t done enough to prevent this.
Tewkesbury Borough Council was first granted a court order in 2007 to try to protect the greenbelt and insists it is still doing all it can to protect the site, which is close to Cheltenham Racecourse, from development.
The country refused a retroactive planning application from Travelers in November last year after receiving more than 200 objections, but they have lodged an appeal which will now be decided by the Planning Inspectorate.
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There were recently sixteen caravans plus several cars and vans on the site, where the travelers moved during the late spring break of 2023.
They have laid a hard surface in the field, erected a high wooden fence around the edge and installed CCTV cameras, some of which look out onto their neighbours.
A resident of Kayte Lane, who did not want to be identified, said the travelers used a bulldozer to clear vegetation from parts of the property as they moved in.
He said this should not have happened and that a beautiful site had been destroyed by conversion to a caravan site.
‘It’s a green belt, open land. There used to be sheep and horses. It was actually pasture.
‘The council of Tewkesbury does not enforce anything. We’re fighting a brick wall.
‘We now have a fence there that is 2.5 meters high. We used to be able to see the village of Southam. We can’t anymore.
‘There is noise from machines, sometimes until 10 p.m. They are still working now and they should not be there,” he said.
Another resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “If they get away with it, everyone else gets away with it.
‘They came with a bulldozer on the second day of public holiday in May last year and flattened the ground. We used to look out on green fields.
‘There should be a fence of posts and wire, with animals in it.
‘In the evening the place is lit up like a Christmas tree, by solar energy.’
The man’s wife said: ‘At night it lights up the area. It’s terrible.’
She said CCTV footage on the traveler gate made residents feel they were being watched and that she and her husband had considered moving.
Residents, in partnership with Southam Parish Council, are trying to raise at least £10,000 to fund a planning specialist who will represent them at the appeal hearing and future relevant meetings.
Tewkesbury Borough Council said in a statement: ‘We have investigated two unauthorized Gypsy/Traveler sites in Kayte Lane.
‘One of these sites, known as Green Orchard, was recently granted planning permission by the Planning Inspectorate, overturning the council’s refusal.
‘A planning appeal has been lodged against the council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the other larger site and is currently pending.
“Both sites are subject to a High Court order and legal proceedings that are currently pending.”
The travelers have been contacted for comment.