Eviction notice for traveller family 'not reasonable'
LDRSCouncil officers who evicted a family from an illegal traveller site made unreasonable demands, a government inspector has ruled.
Mr E Sykes and his brother moved onto land at Littleton Drew, near the M4 in Chippenham in May 2022.
They were later served an enforcement notice by Wiltshire Council, ordering them to remove caravans and return the land to its original state within 12 months, a timescale which a government inspector has now ruled was not reasonable.
Cllr Mel Jacob, deputy leader of Wiltshire Council, said the occupants now have until September 2027 "to comply with the requirements upheld in the enforcement notice".
A planning application from Sykes - to create a site of two pitches, each with a mobile home, day room, and space for a touring caravan - was lodged in January 2023.
It was opposed by 140 residents and later denied.
In May 2024, Wiltshire Council issued an enforcement notice ordering Sykes to remove caravans and stop using a barn on the site for residential storage.
A second notice ordered the removal of illegally-erected sheds and storage structures.
'Better balance'
Appealing to the Planning Inspectorate, Sykes argued the council had not given enough time to vacate the site.
Planning inspector Andy Harwood agreed and found "the period for compliance with the notice falls short of what is reasonable".
While upholding the enforcement notice, Harwood ordered the restoration of the land to its original use should take place within 24 months, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Jacob, deputy leader of Wiltshire Council, said: "A 12-month compliance period was applied to give the occupants sufficient time to comply with the notice.
"The occupants subsequently appealed the Enforcement Notice and sought to extend the compliance period to 24 months.
"The Inspector determined that a period of 16 months would 'strike a better balance'," she added.
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