Travellers buy greenbelt land for £100k then tarmac it over and move in caravans illegally…but WON’T be evicted because council says there aren’t enough pitches nearby

Families in a suburban area of ​​Kent say it is ‘one law for some, another for others’ after travelers were tarred over a field and moved in in caravans without planning permission – only for the site to be approved four years later.

Locals in picturesque West Malling, near Tonbridge, claim their quiet rural haven has been under siege since 2020, when a nearby field was sold to new owners for £105,000.

The following year a planning application was submitted to build two barns on land designated as open countryside and part of the ‘Green Belt’.

Despite these plans being rejected, locals say an ‘illegal’ traveller’s area has been built throughout 2021, complete with caravans, two mobile toilets, a septic tank and dog kennels.

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council issued an enforcement notice in July 2021 but this was successfully appealed by the landowner the following year.

The site was granted temporary permission and was made permanent on December 3, 2025, citing the lack of mobile sites in the area as the reason for approval.

Due to the development, the land is now classed as ‘Grey Belt’ and according to property website Zoopla, part of the site could now be worth as much as £1.4 million.

Locals say travelers have been made “overnight millionaires”, adding that “valuable green belt land has been turned into a lucrative asset for those who flout planning laws”.

Diggers are seen at the site before it was paved and the explorer field was built on top

Tonbridge and Malling Council issued an enforcement notice in July 2021 but this was successfully appealed by the owner the following year

The controversy comes amid a series of high-profile cases of travelers buying up land, often in leafy parts of the Home Counties, before striking out to pave and create pitches.

They then sought planning permission retroactively, forcing local authorities to divest themselves from an already built site, often through lengthy and costly processes.

In most cases, travelers were granted the right to set up permanent camp after enforcement notices were challenged.

The new planning policy, introduced by Angela Rayner in December 2024, forces councils to release green belt land to travelers if there is an ‘unmet need’ for the sites.

But residents living close to the traveler site in West Malling say the planning process is grossly unfair.

One person, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘This isn’t fair. This is so ugly. They do exactly what they want to do.

‘Everyone in this country, if they want to build a house, they have to buy a piece of land and build as much as the municipality allows them.

‘And these people in the once illegal camp are just doing what they want. It’s like they’re above the law.”

Explaining how the site came to be, he added: ‘Travelers asked for permission to create two stable blocks.

‘When this is rejected we know the next thing materializes. And not fixed blocks were placed there, but two units.

Neighborhood residents claim that trees were cut down during construction

A mobile home is seen before being installed on the site. Locals claim they have blocked the roads

‘This caused absolute damage to our lane. They cut down trees to accommodate these incoming units. And it actually just grew from there.’

Another woman who lives near the area described the incident as a ‘terrible shock’.

He said: ‘When the travelers first arrived it was traumatic to say the least.

‘They came on a weekend and there were so many problems; The road was closed. A caravan was coming down the road, crashing into trees.

‘Trees were being cut down to make room. At this point we didn’t know they had purchased the land; nobody knew anything.

‘It was just a terrible shock considering we all moved here for some countryside, rural land. Especially me coming from London.’

He added: ‘I don’t care if they are travellers, I really don’t care. What I cannot stand is the inconsistency and injustice of this.

‘If I had bought land and tried to build on it, I would have been given a notice immediately. I don’t understand why this is allowed.

‘They’ve now set a priority that anyone can go shake it wherever they want and start putting whatever they want on it.’

When the site was being considered for permanent approval in December last year, 54 residents objected to the site, which is located near ancient woodland.

The pitch was also the focus of controversy in July 2021; A fire broke out at the site just a week after the council issued its enforcement notice.

The area is located close to ancient woodland and is classified as Green Belt land.

The land owner had previously claimed that they did not want to upset the residents by building on the land, but that this was their ‘own land’.

A spokesman for Tonbridge and Malling Council said: ‘Since this site was first occupied illegally in 2021, we have opposed its continued use, including taking enforcement action and refusing the previous planning application.

‘Residents of the site appealed the refusal and government inspectors granted interim planning permission to occupy the site in December 2022.

‘Since then the government has made significant changes to the national planning policy which we, like all councils, must comply with.

‘These changes included the relaxation of some restrictions on Green Belt development with the introduction of the gray belt concept, which provides for a more tolerant approach to development in certain circumstances.

‘When councilors met to decide this latest application and hear from concerned residents, there was significant opposition to granting permission.

‘However, in light of the government’s new gray belt policy, the committee was unable to identify any legitimate planning grounds for refusing the application.’

The Daily Mail has contacted the landowner’s representative for comment.