A traveller has been ordered to dismantle an illegal caravan park built on a wildlife haven after admitting he did not apply for planning permission because the process was too difficult. Michael Delaney, 39, converted a seven-acre field in Sussex, which is a habitat for protected great-crested newts, into an unauthorized encampment for his family.
Delaney and his clan poured hardstanding and moved static homes onto the site near Crawley Down last August, ignoring orders to stop. By the end of September, the field housed six plots occupied by Delaney, his children, grandchildren, nephew, pregnant daughter-in-law, and a newborn child. Nearby residents had expressed nervousness to the local parish council about the proximity of the new residents.
During a planning appeal, Delaney admitted he did not attempt to secure planning permission, stating he knew from experience how "painstakingly difficult" the process was. Paul Freer, from the Planning Inspectorate, noted that Delaney was aware that planning permission was required and that obtaining it would not be straightforward, yet he proceeded with the occupation.
Delaney argued that the site, known as Fir Trees Place, offered his nomadic family "stability" and that without it, they would face living on the roadside. He also claimed that the human rights of the children would be breached if they were removed from the land. He described the site as a "dream home" and stated his intention not to expand it, emphasizing a desire for the children to have freedom and a safe space to play.
Mid Sussex District Council contended that there was no necessity for the Delaney clan to occupy the field, as they had links to authorized traveller sites.
Refusing Delaney's appeal against an enforcement notice, the Planning Inspectorate determined that the development harmed the area's "confined and intimate" character. Freer branded the land grab an "egregious example of intentional unauthorised development." The travellers have been given three months to remove their caravans and six months to remove the hardstanding and restore the field. The council welcomed the decision and the compliance timetable, and is assessing its next steps.