Travellers plan appeal to remain on land

The occupants of an unauthorised traveller site in North Yorkshire intend to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in a bid to remain on the land, a court has been told.

Work began on the site at Hillam, near Sherburn in Elmet, on 11 September, when heavy machinery and lorries carrying hardcore and building materials arrived.

North Yorkshire Council served a temporary stop notice on the site on 14 September before securing an interim injunction from the High Court, which was served on 19 September.

Judge Mark Gargan ruled during a hearing at Leeds Combined Court Centre the injunction would remain in place while the appeal process took place.

The hearing heard that more than 20 people living on the site planned to launch an appeal against the enforcement notice.

On the continuation of the interim injunction, the judge said: "I am happy that this is a sensible approach to the difficulties.

"We don't know what the outcome of the planning application will be, this is not a matter for me to decide."

Speaking to the seven defendants who attended the hearing, he said: "It is important that the injunction is obeyed and there are no breaches."

The judge said anyone found to have breached the injunction could face prosecution under contempt laws and ultimately be imprisoned.

He told Shemuel Sheikh, barrister for the council, that if the appeal was successful he expected the council's legal action would end.

Michael Rudd, representing the occupants of the site in Betteras Hill Road, told the hearing the defendants had already instructed planning consultants to lodge an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate on their behalf.

Rudd told the hearing it was hoped this appeal would be decided by May next year.

The court gave the occupants until 20 November to file the appeal.

The injunction prohibits additional caravans being brought onto the land, further hardstanding, construction work and the installation of infrastructure without planning permission.

Legal proceedings were initially brought against 23 individuals as well as unidentified people by the council, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A total of 26 people have now been listed in legal documents for the court action.

Traveller and Gypsy advocates have previously warned that a shortage of authorised sites left some families with few options for somewhere to live.

While not condoning breaches of planning law, they argue that the lack of suitable alternatives can force travelling families into difficult situations.

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