Travellers WIN right to stay on site after flattening and paving over woodland as ‘mum needs settled base for 5 kids’

4 comments 4 Next TRAVELLERS who flattened and paved over a woodland have won their right to stay on site after a mother claimed she needed a settled base for her five children. Local residents have been left “devastated” at the decision after the travellers pitched up near St Albans in Hertfordshire four years ago. 6 Travellers who flattened and paved over a woodland have won their right to stay on the site indefinitely Source: PHIL HARRIS 6 Local residents have been left ‘devastated’ by the decision after the travellers pitched up four years ago Source: PHIL HARRIS Advertisement In 2024, the Planning Inspectorate granted the travellers temporary permission to remain on the site for five years, two years after they arrived, reports Daily Mail .

They set up camp after felling trees and clearing hedgerows directly adjacent to the gardens of picturesque Bridgefoot Cottages which are 200-years-old. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. A year after they were given permission – which stipulated the woodland had to be restored by 2029 – they paved over the site and brought in a static caravan.

But despite furious locals saying the area was used as a “dumping ground” and had breached conditions, Hertsmere Council has said they can take no further action following changes in national policy. Read more News DOG ATTACK Girl, 2, bitten in face by dog at village pub as cops issue CCTV in hunt for man GRIM FIND Mystery as woman found with 'life-changing' injuries in alleyway under bridge 6 The site was given temporary planning permission for five years in 2024 after a mother-of-five argued for a settled base for her family Source: PHIL HARRIS 6 But locals say the site remains locked up and they haven’t seen the family Source: PHIL HARRIS Central to the travellers’ appeal for permission to pitch up on the site was the claim that Theresa Lane, a mother-of-five, needed a settled place for her family to live.

At the planning hearing, it was reportedly argued that an 11-year-old child with Down’s Syndrome needed to be based near to a specialist school. Advertisement Ms Lane is also said to have claimed she was a widow with four more sons, three of whom were adults. Only Ms Lane and her family were permitted to live on the site but the family have not been spotted since that hearing two years ago. Most read in The Sun AN EXCLUSIVE PAIR Meet Jake Tapper's wife Jennifer Brown and their children MARKLE PROBE Cops probing Thomas Markle 'find explicit content on his digital devices' KNIFE HORROR Third boy, 16, held over 'attempted murder' after 5 stabbed at Halloween party RAPE PROBE Two men arrested over 'rape & attempted rape' of 2 women in UK seaside town Instead, residents have claimed the site remains locked up and only report seeing men who they believe are “caretakers” of the plot.

Upon their arrival in 2022, locals reported being approached in their own garden by men working at the site with some saying they were verbally abused. Meanwhile, neighbouring properties said their water bills quadrupled with mounting water usage after the travellers arrived. Advertisement They believed the travellers had hooked themselves to the water mains shared by the surrounding properties. And pipes prepared for potential septic tanks were also spotted, despite the fact they were only permitted to a single mobile home and touring caravan.

In a letter sent to residents this week, Hertsmere Council reportedly said the case would be closed after the government weakened planning rules. 6 Local residents said the site had been used as a ‘dumping ground’ Source: PHIL HARRIS 6 But the local council reportedly said they could take no further action after changes to national policy Source: PHIL HARRIS Advertisement The enforcement officer said it was “unlikely that conditions restriction permission to temporary or personal planning permissions would meet the condition tests”.

This is because of “changes to national policy” ” which mean “the need to restrict this development to being a personal and temporary permission is no longer required”. Locals have been left furious at the decision, with one saying it was “devastating news “. Another said it had been “upsetting for all of us” and blasted trying to fight the alleged planning breaches as “an absolute waste of my time”. One even doubted the child who attended the hearing, saying the travellers would “produce the girl again” should another hearing be required.

Advertisement The travellers have also submitted a new application for two touring caravans and two static homes . The site – which had previously been purchased by Ms Lane’s brother in 2021 for £39,000 – had been green-belt land for the last 45 years with the council previously having dismissed past development attempts. An spokesperson for the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Local planning authorities have a wide range of enforcement powers with strong penalties for non-compliance.

RECOMMENDED STORIES “It is for local authorities to determine what action they take against any breaches of planning control, and there are strong protections in place to protect green spaces for local people.” The Sun has contacted Hertsmere Borough Council for comment. Advertisement 4 comments 4