Following complaints about an unauthorised increase in occupation on Greenacres Mobile Park in Semington, Wiltshire Council has issued an Enforcement Notice on the park’s owner.
The site has planning permission for 14 pitches, which constitutes 28 mobile homes for Travellers. However, the council has identified a significant increase in the number of mobile homes on the site, with up to 77 being stored on site. Many of these are also allegedly being rented on the open market to people who aren’t classed as Travellers for planning purposes.
Following a formal investigation, the council has now served an Enforcement Notice on the site’s owner to require the number of mobile homes on the site to be reduced, in line with the existing planning permission.
The notice was served on 26th February and will take effect on 2nd April. It recognises that different site occupants have different needs and so staggers the times that the occupiers and mobile homes are required to leave the site over the next 18 months.
The notice requires non-Travellers to leave the site within nine months of 2nd April; it also requires the number of pitches to be reduced to 25 within 12 months; and finally, the number of pitches to reduce to 14 within 18 months.
Cabinet member for development management and strategic planning, Cllr Nick Botterill, said, “Serving an Enforcement Notice is a last resort, and our officers have been trying to work with the owner of Greenacres Mobile Park to ensure they comply with their planning permission.
“Unfortunately, we have been unable to obtain compliance and so have had no choice but to serve this notice to ensure that the owner meets their legal obligations.
“We are committed to tackling planning permission breaches such as this in Wiltshire and we will use all available legal powers to enforce planning regulations.
“However, we are also mindful that a number of occupiers on the site are caught up in this matter and who may not have anywhere else to go. To help these people, we have staggered the period required for people to leave the site, giving them plenty of time to make alternative arrangements. We have also provided contact details for our Housing team so we can provide advice and assistance to those impacted by the notice.”
“We will continue to work closely with all people involved in this matter to ensure compliance.”
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