From the Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Legal steps have been taken by Northampton Borough Council to prevent a piece of land in Semilong being sold to Travellers.
The council was granted a court injunction to prevent the illegal development of land close to Lyncroft Way last month.
The council took the case to court after the site was changed without permission.
A spokesman for the authority said: “Without planning permission, the former allotment site has been converted into a storage yard.
“Although a retrospective planning application was made for the development, this was refused by the council as the land is designated as an allotment site and falls within a high-risk flood zone.
“The landowner has since written to the council to suggest to planning officers that he may sell the land to a group interested in creating a traveller site.
“After seeking legal advice, the council has taken legal action to prevent the land being used as an unauthorised Travellers site.”
The council’s cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor Tim Hadland (Con, Old Duston) said the action had been taken by the authority after people living close to the site expressed fears about its future.
He also called on the land’s owner –who has not been identified by the council – to work with planning officers at the Guildhall to find a suitable use for the land.
He said: “I understand that local residents may have concerns about the future of the site.
“We do not take legal action lightly, but in this instance we have been left with no alternative.
“It means we can take swift action if an illegal or unauthorised development starts to take shape.
“I would ask the landowner to work with the council to discuss the future of the site and what options are available through the planning process.”
The legal action was taken by the council in the middle of December.
It is believed that talks between the borough council and the landowner will now be ongoing.
The possible use of another piece of land in Kingsthorpe as an illegal Traveller site sparked a four year row over the future of the site.
The 42-acre site in Kingsthorpe Meadows , which is not related to the land in Lyncroft Way, was bought for £1 million by a group of Irish Travellers in 2005.
After successfully campaigning to prevent the land being used as a camp site, a group of Kingsthorpe residents raised more than £95,000 to buy the land.
However, during an auction in 2008, the residents were unexpectedly outbid by a councillor.
That sparked a year-long row with rumours spread the site could be used for houses or a mosque.
After a year of debate, the residents bought a third of the land, securing its future.
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