Table of Contents
Wirral Council served a Temporary Stop Notice on a traveller site set up on green belt land in Irby last week. The area's local MP has encouraged the authority to act before the land is 'irreparably damaged', according to the Wirral Globe.
The notice was issued on 28 August. It demands that those on the Townshend Avenue land stop ground engineering operations. This is everything from laying water pipes to using infrastructure to level the land, and laying hardstanding through imported building materials like rubble and gravel.
According to interviews with the Globe, three traveller families told the publication they bought the plot of land and had applied for planning permission to lay hardcore. When advertised for sale, it was clear that the land - valued at around 90 to £100,000 - would be subject to planning restrictions.
Residents had previously reported seeing caravans, trucks, excavators, a crane, and raised concern over the site, as well as a mobile police station set up nearby.
Councillor Mark Skillicorn said the Temporary Stop Notice was removed from the site boundary immediately after being issued, though not by the council. He said officers had obtained specialist legal advice and considered relevant case law before preparing the notice.
According to Mr Skillicorn, that advice said the Temporary Stop Notice could not be used to remove caravans on the site. Instead, the notice was reworked to target engineering and operational works, which would be the easiest area to address quickly under the law.
He described the situation as 'unprecedented' for the council because the people undertaking the work were the landowners, rather than people occupying land without permission. The notice took effect on 28 August and is due to expire on 22 October.
Officers are working with the council's planning solicitors to review the position, including evidence gathered over the Bank Holiday. Next steps include monitoring compliance, investigating any further planning breaches, considering enforcement measures, and assessing whether legal proceedings may be necessary.
Wirral West MP Matthew Patrick has written to council leaders asking for immediate understanding over the works. His letter sent yesterday asked whether a planning application was submitted, whether the construction of the hardstanding and access alterations requires planning consent, and whether the council had launched a formal enforcement inquiry.
Despite anxiety from residents and councillors, the owners legally purchased the land, so the council cannot use powers usually used for unauthorised occupation of land to remove them. What they can do is investigate and take planning enforcement action where a change or development happened without necessary consent.
Home Estate Agents, who marketed the plot before its sale, rejected allegations it didn't carry out checks, and that it accepted cash from the buyers.
"We did not receive payments, handle cash or purchaser funds from the buyer as has been suggested,' the spokesperson said.
They also said accusations that they knew the use of the land are 'simply untrue', adding the agent is not responsible for knowing the intended use of purchased land or property.
The agent said it was a small independent local business employing local people, including staff living in Irby, Pensby and Heswall, and urged people not to repeat allegations.
