Furious residents living near the UK’s largest traveller site have urged Housing Secretary Angela Rayner not to weaken planning rules, amid fears changes could make it harder for councils to tackle unauthorised encampments.
Locals in South Ockendon, Essex, say they are already concerned about the scale of the Buckles Lane site, which has grown from a council-approved community of around 50 caravans, to a sprawling settlement said to contain more than 800 static homes and caravans.
Residents raised concerns about sewage, fire safety and the ability of local infrastructure to cope with further expansion.
One local business owner said he believed the site posed a "serious fire risk", warning that a blaze could spread rapidly among the densely packed caravans.
Another resident claimed there had been problems with sewage during recent hot weather, and questioned whether waste was being disposed of properly.
“It is surely big enough and at capacity,” he told the Sun newspaper, adding: “The authorities will be irresponsible to allow it to get bigger as the infrastructure cannot cope.”
Some residents also described the atmosphere around the site as intimidating, with several reluctant to give their names or be photographed by reporters.
However, not everyone in the area shares those concerns, with one woman in her 20s claiming travellers were generally “honest hard working people” who kept themselves to themselves.
The row comes as the Government changes England’s planning rules, with Conservative critics warning the reforms could make it easier for unauthorised traveller sites to secure planning permission retrospectively.
Guidance relating to environmental damage caused by unauthorised traveller sites was also removed from the updated National Planning Policy Framework.
Official figures show the number of unauthorised traveller caravans in England has risen by 73 per cent since January 2020, from 2,860 to 4,950.
But Ms Rayner rejected the criticism, accusing the Tories of spreading “fake news”, and insisting the Government would “crack down on illegal traveller sites”.
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The Government has also stressed that councils will retain powers to act against unlawful development.
The site at Buckles Lane has previously been at the centre of criminal investigations.
Thomas McKenna, 60, was jailed for 16 years after being convicted of running a gun-conversion workshop from a caravan on the site.
He was found to have converted blank-firing weapons into lethal firearms.
Thurrock Council said it has several injunctions preventing further expansion of the site, and that officers are taking action against breaches.
A council spokesman said a review of Buckles Lane was under way, with the authority working alongside Essex Police, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and utility companies to improve the site and protect residents.
The council said the issue was “highly complex” and involved many vulnerable people, adding that it remained in contact with representatives of the Travelling Showpeople community.
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