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Four day s174 inquiry concerning six pitches for gypsy caravans in the Green Belt. The site was established over a weekend and the local planning authority obtained an injunction to prevent the stationing of further caravans. When more arrived one of the Appellants was imprisoned for contempt (Basildon BC v Anderson 12 April 2017). The site was in an area of plotlands and a local plan policy countenanced some development in such areas, despite the Green Belt designation. There were some lawful gypsy pitches in the vicinity but the local planning authority had taken direct action to remove unlawful pitches elsewhere in the locality. It was accepted that there was a high level of unmet need in the Borough, but the authority was intending to allocate land for a large number of gypsy pitches in an emerging local plan. The development eroded a gap between two areas of development. The Inspector granted planning permission for one pitch but upheld the enforcement notice against the other five. A s289 challenge by the Appellant failed. Richard Langham appeared for the local planning authority.
