Breckland Council cracking down on Billingford travellers

Breckland Council has issued an enforcement notice to order the removal of caravans at the end of Festival Road in Billingford. 

The travellers living there say they will have to be "dragged" away after having already been told to leave their previous site in nearby Stanfield.

Many locals in Festival Road have pushed back against the family moving onto the land and tensions are growing ahead of an official hearing with the Planning Inspectorate.

The static caravan has been moved into the site without planning permission (Image: Eleanor Storey) THE SITUATION SO FAR

The Clapham family bought the land off Festival Road at auction after having been ordered to leave another site in Back Lane, Stanfield, where they had lived for almost a decade.

They lodged a planning application with Breckland Council to use the land for two residential static caravans and two touring caravans with a view to living at the site permanently.

READ MORE: Controversial plans for travellers' site in village back on the agenda

The site at the end of Festival Road (Image: Eleanor Storey) Dozens of locals lodged objections against the proposals and these were refused by Breckland Council in July amid concerns about its detrimental impact on an area of open countryside and potential noise and disturbance for neighbouring properties.

The Claphams appealed this decision to the government's Planning Inspectorate but have already moved into the site without permission, resulting in Breckland Council issuing an enforcement notice against the family - requiring them to remove the caravans.

There will be a hearing in January to determine whether the family should be allowed to stay. 

There are kennels at the site for the Claphams' dogs (Image: Eleanor Storey) 'WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE'

Rhys Clapham, who lives in the caravan with his partner and three children, has expressed his frustration at the situation after having invested some £100,000 in developing the site. 

He said: "We have been given so much grief and slandered from the second we got here even though we've done everything by the book. 

"We just want a place to live and we're not causing any bother for the neighbours.

"We've got nowhere else to go if they force us to leave - we will be homeless. I'm not going anywhere. They'll have to drag me off the site."

Rhys Clapham outside his family home (Image: Eleanor Storey) The patch of the land at the end of Festival Road was previously used by the community - as allotments and later as an area for children to play - but has now been fitted out with the static caravan, kennels and two smaller caravans. 

TENSIONS RISING

Locals in Festival Road have pushed back against the Clapham family and say the site - which was formerly owned by Breckland Council before being put up for auction - should be brought back into community use. 

READ MORE: 'We are being hit hard' - town reacts to triple closure threat

Festival Road, Billingford (Image: Eleanor Storey) Grant Elliott, who lives in the street, said: "It was suddenly sold off by the council and the village was not consulted at all.

"The kids used to use it as a play area and it was a nice bit of green space for the rest of us. 

"The planning application being refused didn't do us any favours as the family are not abiding by the rules."

Others described the change of use of the site as a "callous proposal" and feared it would "completely ruin" the small community in Festival Road. 

The entrance to the site off Festival Road (Image: Eleanor Storey) Griselda Hubbard, clerk at Billingford Parish Council, told Breckland Council: "While we are always sympathetic to anyone facing homelessness and hardship, lack of funds does not appear to be a barrier for this family, having bought the land and paid planning costs.

"To simply infer that someone is about to be made homeless appears to be an emotive ploy to underpin their application."

She also raised concerns about parking and access in the narrow cul-de-sac and noise and light pollution impacting neighbouring properties.

The Planning Inspectorate will hold a hearing on January 14 to decide whether the appeal by the Claphams against Breckland Council should be upheld.