Appeal rules Travellers' site near Northamptonshire village must be removed
A planning inspector has ruled that an unauthorised Travellers’ site near a Northamptonshire village should be stripped apart, upholding a council’s enforcement notice which was issued nearly two years ago.
Travellers had previously expanded their site at Oakley Park, near Middleton, to house 10 caravans without planning permission. The larger park was given retrospective planning permission through the appeals process after an initial refusal from North Northants Council.
Despite receiving the approval, the owners continued to expand the site even more. Aerial photos taken in 2025 showed that the number of caravans and landscaping works on the land exceeded the express limitations that were set.
Following pressure from Middleton Parish Council and the Middleton Residents Action Group (RAG), NNC issued enforcement notices on the site in September 2024, which were then appealed by the owners.
Planning inspector Mark Harbottle concluded that there had not been a lawful commencement of the 2023 retrospective permission, saying that ‘it appears that a different residential caravan site development has been carried out’.
He also highlighted that fundamental conditions for the development, including details of the road access, landscaping, biodiversity, foul and surface water drainage, refuse storage and lighting, had not been complied with.
The owners of the Travellers’ site must now comply with the council’s enforcement notice, which alleges a breach of planning control and requires them to remove all caravans stored on the land and remove all hardstanding, structures and physical infrastructure within three months.
Full restoration of the land to the condition it was prior to the unauthorised development is also required within a maximum of five months.
Responding to the decision, a RAG spokesman said that it welcomes the ruling and that it will continue to ensure that NNC follows through with the enforcement notice.
They said: “Local councils have a duty to uphold planning regulations and cannot turn a blind eye to egregious and intentional breaches such as Oakley Park.
“Incidents like Oakley Park are not isolated. Across North Northamptonshire, similar cases have emerged in recent years, reflecting a broader national issue of intentional unauthorised development (IUD).”
A North Northamptonshire Council spokesman said that the authority welcomes the inspector’s decision to uphold its enforcement notice.
They said: “The decision confirms that unauthorised development and the unauthorised use of the land for caravan storage have occurred and that the associated engineering works and infrastructure do not benefit from planning permission.
“The Inspector also concluded that the 2023 planning permission relied upon by the appellant had not been lawfully commenced. The upheld notice became live from the date of the inspector’s decision on 12 May 2026.
“Council officers will now consider the inspector’s decision in full and take any necessary steps to secure compliance with the upheld enforcement notice.”