Cambridge College Faces Scrutiny Over Land Sale Tied to Caravan Site Development
Trinity College's continued legal interest in a field sold for £100,000 in 2016 has drawn attention amid an ongoing dispute over its use as an unauthorized caravan site.
Trinity College, a prominent institution within Cambridge University, is facing scrutiny regarding its involvement in the 2016 sale of a field that has since been developed into an unauthorized caravan site. Land Registry records indicate that the college retains a legal interest in the property and must approve any future sale until November 2044.
Travellers began unauthorized work on the land near Hockley, Essex, on August 28, shortly after local council offices closed for the bank holiday weekend. Despite Rochford Council issuing a stop notice on August 29 and subsequently securing a High Court injunction prohibiting further development or occupation of the land, it remains occupied by several families.
Local politicians have raised questions about the due diligence conducted by Trinity College before approving the £100,000 sale in 2016 to John Eastwood and Rachel Hilden. They have also urged the college to clarify whether its continuing interest in the land could be leveraged to assist in clearing the site.
Trinity College, which owns extensive land holdings across Britain, often employs 30-year overage agreements on land sales. These agreements allow the college to claim a share of any future increase in land value if planning permission is granted.
Members of the local parish council have called for further investigation into the matter. David Catchpole, chairman of Ashingdon Parish Council, stated that the college's ongoing link to the land warranted closer examination by Rochford Council's planning officers.
Concerns about the land's intended use were present even at the time of the 2016 sale. Residents had expressed fears that the purchase by Mr. Eastwood and Ms. Hilden, who provided an address at a council-run traveller site in Sevenoaks, was intended to facilitate an unauthorized traveller site. The previous owners, local farmers Daniel Squier, 82, and Marrion Squier, 78, had purchased the field from Trinity College in November 2014.
A retrospective planning application has been filed for 15 pitches, each intended to accommodate a mobile home and up to two touring caravans. This application has garnered over 100 objections from local residents and Conservative MP Mark Francois.
Rochford Council's planning enforcement team had been monitoring the site since the 2016 sale due to fears of unauthorized development. Within weeks of the purchase, land-clearing work began, leading to an investigation. In September 2016, the council served a temporary stop notice after observing the removal of a section of hedgerow to create a new entrance. The landowners asserted at the time that they had no intention of using the land for caravans, and the council subsequently approved the new access.
Caravans appeared on the land in October 2016, prompting another stop notice. The owners denied ownership of the vehicles, which were later removed. In May 2017, a request was made to name the site "Fairways" and assign it a postcode. A large pair of ornate iron gates was installed at the entrance, with the owners stating they were intended to deter fly-tipping.
Joint inquiries by Rochford and Basildon councils investigated potential links to the Eastwood traveller family and financing of the purchase, but no such connection was established. The land was subsequently used for boot sales in 2017, though a retrospective planning application was refused, and as an unauthorized race track in 2019 before the recent unauthorized development.
A spokesperson for Rochford Council stated that the ownership history of the land is not relevant to the planning enforcement actions being taken. Enforcement decisions are based on the planning merits of the case, activities on the land, and available evidence. The council investigates alleged breaches of planning control irrespective of land ownership.
The Squier family declined to comment but confirmed that the college's involvement is a matter of public record. Trinity College did not respond to requests for comment.