Darwen travellers's camp: council accused of failure to act

Angry Darwen resident Anne Cockram attended the authority's executive board to demand it take steps over the caravans on grassland near the town's Whitehall Park.

She was one of several local householders to attend the meeting on Thursday, October 10, supported by Darwen South Labour councillor Anthony Shaw.

In July, Blackburn with Darwen Council issued a stop notice after hardcore was laid to make way for 18 caravans – of which six are permanent - at the site.

The enforcement notice, which took effect from August 13, orders all work to cease as it does not have the appropriate planning permission and allows nine months for the residential use of the land to cease, for all caravans to be removed, and for it to be returned to the condition it was in before the arrival of the unauthorised encampment.

Cllr Anthony Shaw joined residents in expressing concern over the site Ms Cockram, who told the meeting she felt 'very vulnerable' when she visited the site, addressed the council's growth boss Cllr Quesir Mahmood, asking: "Why have the travellers at Whitehall been allowed to completely ignore the stop notice that has been served on them?

"Why are Blackburn with Darwen Council failing to police this notice and allowing them to continue decimating the wildlife and developing and placing numerous caravans and vehicles on the site?"

Cllr Shaw also asked: "What type of work constitutes a notable breach of the stop notice?

"Does this allow for smaller breaches?"

In response, Cllr Mahmood said: "The council shares many of the residents' concerns regarding the unauthorised encampment.

"Therefore, a full stop notice was issued in July which restricts further engineering operations from taking place.

The site is on land near Whitehall Park in Darwen "Regular visits are being carried out to the site. There have been no records of any breaches which would merit a prosecution or other legal action.

"With regards to the planning application, the council requested it should be submitted urgently when the encampment was created.

"Unfortunately, a valid application didn’t come forward, therefore the council took prompt action by serving the enforcement notice and the stop notice.

"Everything that can be done within the council’s limited planning powers has been done.

"However, this could be a lengthy process as we’re now in the hands of the government’s Planning Inspectorate which is handling the appeal against the enforcement notice."

Ms Cockram said she had seen diggers on the site, which Cllr Mahmood said was to plant hedges which did not contravene the enforcement notices.

Council leader Cllr Phil Riley told her: "The travellers are the legal owners of the site.

"We are now in a legal process which will take as long as it takes. The travellers understand that legal process as well as we do."