Brothers fined for extending Travellers' site into green belt - Birmingham

From the Birmingham Post

Two brothers have each been ordered to pay more than £21,000 for flouting a ban on extending a Travellers’ site on green belt land.

Joseph and Bernard Doherty both admitted a number of charges of contravening ‘temporary stop notices’ under the Town and Country Planning Act.

Nicholas Cole, prosecuting, said the pair ignored orders intended to prevent more development of a field at Salters Lane Farm, near Earlswood, Solihull.

He told Warwick Crown Court that Joseph, 37, and 33-year-old Bernard were told in April last year that an application to expand the site was unlikely to succeed.

But Mr Cole said they went ahead without planning permission and repeatedly ignored demands for the work to stop.

He said Solihull Council officers visited the field after receiving complaints and found “a significant quantity of bricks and hardcore and soil had been spread over the site to level it to provide hard standing in the lower field”.

The Dohertys were fined a total of £14,000 each and were ordered to pay £1,750 costs and a £15 surcharge.

Each brother was also told to hand over £6,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act – with a threat of serving six months in prison if the cash was not paid by December 1.

Kevin Grego, defending, said: “The mischief in this case is a situation where there is lawful development of about a quarter of this area.

“There were static caravans which provided homes for members of the Doherty family.

“There is no suggestion this is a case of commercial development. The purpose was in terms of ‘the family is expanding and we want more room for family members’.”