Villagers are 'forced' into buying up grass verges and small pockets of land near their homes for thousands to stop traveller landgrabs

By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:44, 4 June 2026 | Updated: 00:48, 4 June 2026 Villagers claim they are being 'forced' to buy grass verges and small plots of land near their homes for thousands of pounds amid fears of land grabs from travellers Residents of St Augustine's Estate in Chartham, near Canterbury, have said they now feel compelled to buy pockets of land near their home. Among the sites put up for auction by landowner, Rubislaw Estates Ltd, are roadside verges, small patches of grass between homes on the estate. But despite being designated as open public spaces intended for the benefit of residents, they have been advertised as 'potentially suitable' for various uses. Future Property Auctions state the sites 'may be a suitable location for a portable home, Bio-net Gain Carbon capture, Forest school, allotments or maybe for the travelling community (subject to investigating and gaining necessary consents)'. This language has since been described as 'inflammatory' by locals, who suggested it appeared to encourage residents to buy the plots out of fear of the potential outcome if someone else got there first. It comes after locals were left shocked to discover that plots across the estate had been put up for sale in February, 2025. Yet more than a year later, those fears had dissipated until several plots of land on Beech Avenue appeared online, set to be auctioned off on June 4, 2025. Several plots of land on Beech Avenue have been advertised online Future Property Auctions sparking fears of traveller land grabs among locals Residents say they feel compelled to buy the plots of land near their homes (pictured) amid the prospect of what could happen if it is purchased by someone else Your browser does not support iframes. A woman living nearby in Little Copse Close said she was initially against buying the land outside her property, but now feels she has little choice. Even though the sale of the plot outside her property recently fell through, nearby sites have already been fenced off after being sold, prompting her to intervene. 'Other plots of land have been sold to neighbours. Quite frankly, I'm quite appalled by it all,' she said. 'I just think it's really sad - it's open space. We are now in this position where there are a few of us kind of being forced to buy land and make sure that no one else does. 'We just don't want anyone coming along and putting a fence up and taking away the open space.' Meanwhile, she claimed another buyer had purchased a plot in hopes of building a summer home, only to find they had been 'misled' by advertising. Canterbury City Council (CCC) confirmed the plots are protected open space, meaning applications for alternative uses are unlikely to succeed. However, residents say reassurance from the city council does not go far enough in putting their minds at ease. 'What we don't know at the moment is how much the council are willing to enforce, or what they're willing to enforce,' the resident said. She added that locals believe the land should be 'maintained for public use', adding that she did not want the land. '[But] I'm being forced to buy it because we've got no clarity from the council about what the obligations are for the landowners,' she added. Mike Sole, a CCC councillor who also represents Canterbury South at Kent County Council, said it was key that the city council quickly got to 'grips with enforcement'. Your browser does not support iframes. A previous image of a grass verge up for sale in Chartham, Kent, in 2025, which left local residents horrified  Plots of land are being advertised by Future Property Auctions, described as above. Residents previously claimed such language was 'inflammatory' He also said the local authority needs to contact vendors and order them to stop marketing the land for purposes for which it cannot be used.  'It's obviously very, very worrying for people to see fences go up, to see people chopping down trees and all sorts of things when this land should be there with the protections that were put on it when the estate was built,' he said. The land on St Augustine's estate, where a former hospital was previously located, was initially owned by Growing Estates Ltd. It was later sold to Rubislaw Estates, a Scottish Property Development and Investment Firm, which almost immediately started selling the land. Emails previously sent by the company to Cllr Sole say that the firm intends to sell all of its holdings in Chartham and has no obligation to consult residents. Cllr Sole described the situation as a 'scandal', saying he cannot understand why the land was not placed into a resident-owned management company from the outset. 'The only people making any gain out of this are the vendors of the land,' he continued. 'They're either trying to find people who are willing to take a punt and buy this land fairly cheaply, thinking they can put a caravan on it or something else, or they are scaring residents into having to spend their own savings to protect something that should already be protected by the planning conditions that were set out 30 years ago.' Rob Davies, a spokesman for CCC, said: 'This site is protected open space and our Local Plan policies seek to protect this space for the enjoyment of the local residents, so any application to change this is unlikely to be granted. 'We are aware of the concerns of residents and will continue to investigate any reports of breaches of planning legislation.' No guide prices are listed for today's auction, but the opening bids are set at £1,000. More examples of plots land for sale on Beech Avenue in Chartham, Cantebury that has sparked panic among locals Among the sites put up for auction by landowner, Rubislaw Estates Ltd, are roadside verges, small patches of grass between homes on the estate Another plot fo land in Chartham, which is set to go up for auction on June 4 The Daily Mail has approached both Rubislaw Estates and Future Property Auctions for comment. It comes after travellers waged a series of fresh land grabs over the most recent May bank holiday weekend.  Patches of countryside in West Sussex, Kent and Lincolnshire were the latest areas to be targeted by unscrupulous developers over the three-day break - to the dismay of locals.  Work involving heavy machinery started at a site in West Chiltington, in West Sussex, that weekend, near the world-renowned English sparkling wine estate Nyetimber.  Aerial images revealed that a large proportion of the field has since been tarmacked over - with a number of mobile homes seemingly ready to move in. It follows a trend that has seen travellers purchase land, often in leafy parts of the Home Counties, before unauthorised sites are set up. Planning permission is then sought retrospectively, with travellers often granted the permanent right to stay because there is an 'unmet need for pitches'. No comments have so far been submitted. 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