Travellers who sparked fury when they concreted over a patch of prime greenbelt land and turned it into a caravan park could now be forced to rip it up.
The rural six-acre site near Burtonwood, Cheshire, was last year transformed into a grey, gravelled compound by heavy machinery that rolled in just hours after it was sold.
Within just 72 hours over a Bank Holiday weekend in May, half the field was laid with hard core and an unsightly 10ft-high fence was put up around the perimeter.
Striking photos revealed the rapid transformation from lush green pasture to a grey mess that was within weeks occupied by 13 caravans, four vans, a digger and three cars.
Locals were incensed, fearing that a retrospective planning application would allow the development to remain, as has happened in other cases around the country.
Almost 50 people attended a surgery help by local independent councillor Stuart Mann the next day, and Warrington Borough Council launched an investigation that resulted in the submission of an enforcement notice.
Now, it has emerged that John Very, the new owner of the plot, submitted an application as expected – but faces having to tear up the concrete blot after his bid was rejected.
The plans stated the work was for a gypsy and traveller residential site, with four pitches and associated landscaping, and the installation of a farm gate to a footpath on the corner of Tan House Lane and Farmers Lane.
Before and after: Diggers worked through the night to transform the field in Burtonwood village, near Warrington, Cheshire, into a concrete caravan park in less than three days
An excavator can be seen tearing up the grass, with caravans already parked on the far end of the plot
A mix of 16 caravans and mobile homes would be accommodated in the new compound, it said.
Responding to the rejection of the plans, councillor Stuart Mann said: ‘I have always been clear that my concerns relate to any landowner undertaking development works without following the standard planning process.
‘Many local residents rightly feel frustrated when they follow the rules, submit applications, and wait for decisions, only to see others act first and apply later.
‘While it has taken much longer than I would have liked, I am pleased that the correct legal process has been followed to fully consider the retrospective planning application.’
In its decision notice, the council wrote: ‘The proposed development does not provide safe and suitable access to the site for all users, and the location lacks infrastructure for pedestrians.’
It said the proposal was an ‘unsustainable form of development’ and would inflict an ‘unacceptable impact’ on the road next door.
It also outlined that the site would not provide ‘suitable access for local services’ or ‘more sustainable modes of transport’.
The statement continued: ‘Having regard to the Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Site assessment framework, the site would not meet the full range of criteria, especially in terms of access to more sustainable modes of transport and local services.’
The new owners transformed the site into this caravan park without obtaining any planning permission
The work was carried out non-stop for 72 hours over a bank holiday, when the council was effectively non-operational, and a grand new sign was installed
The land was bought on May 23, 2025, and caravans moved in that same day.
Villagers reported non-stop work from 6pm on until Sunday evening, with excavators ripping up half the field, tipper trucks carting away the earth, and bulldozers and HGVs also rumbling through.
The plot sits on Farmers Lane, at the junction with Tan House Lane – which locals insist green belt land allotted for agricultural use only.
The development prompted cries of ‘green belt vandalism’, with a total of 107 letters of objection submitted against it.
One objector wrote: ‘The land has been destroyed without any planning permission, our greenbelt completely vandalised with absolutely no regard to the rules or residents.
‘It is absolutely disgusting that this has been allowed to happen.’
Another fumed: “’The site has damaged the natural beauty of the area and transformed once green belt land into a caravan park.
‘Failure to reject this planning application will only lead to further exploitation of the system in similar ways around the area, which will seriously damage an area of considerable natural beauty and wildlife.’
Just 18 letters of support surfaced, with some claiming the plans were ‘respectful and considerate of the surrounding area’.
The Mail visited the village of Burtonwood last June to gauge reaction.
One despairing local told us: ‘They came in en masse, truck after truck after truck, all through the night as they got to work.
‘It was a massive convoy, like an Army operation. The noise was unbearable – you couldn’t sleep.’
A horrified homeowner, who loved around a hundreds yards from the site, said: ‘The machinery was so big some of the fixtures in the house were shaking. It was scary, like an earthquake. At first we didn’t know what it was.’
One local estimated the works involved removing 53 loads of soil and putting down 53 loads of hardcore. ‘With all the machinery and the fencing they put up, I’d say the work cost £40,000 to £50,000,’ he said.
Travellers are an ethnic minority group and are protected under Equalities legislation.
Warrington Council has been approached for a comment.
