Taking action against unauthorised caravan or static mobile home sites
Taking action against unauthorised caravan or static mobile home sites
Recently, a number of unauthorised caravan and static mobile home sites have been set up across the district.
In some cases, while the land may be legitimately owned, it may not have planning permission for development. This includes activities such as laying tarmac or hardstanding, installing drainage, or moving homes onto the site.
The Council has a legal duty, set out by government, to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community, including Gypsy, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople. To do this it must identify a five year supply of land for pitches and plots.
As part of the new Local Plan, appropriate sites for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation have been identified. Policies are in place to support sites which meet the needs of these communities, while rejecting those that do not.
The Council takes planning enforcement and legal action against unauthorised sites to uphold planning regulations and protect the environment, in particular the large areas of Green Belt in the district. The legal process is often complex and it can take a long time to resolve these situations.
Since the beginning of 2023 the Council has issued 18 temporary stop notices, 1 stop notice, 16 enforcement notices and been granted 5 injunctions.
On Saturday 30 August. an interim injunction was granted for North End Paddock, west of Shipley Bridge, to prevent further caravans or other mobile homes being moved onto the site or any works taking place.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Catherine Sayer, said: “We know how disruptive and frustrating it can be for residents when these unauthorised sites appear, often overnight, in our rural areas. While we always follow the legal process to enforce planning laws, unfortunately this takes a long time. Retrospective planning applications are often submitted and must be considered alongside enforcement or other legal action. I can assure you we will take all possible steps to deal with unauthorised sites through planning enforcement and legal processes.”
For more information about the Local Plan policies please visit our website.