More than 100 residents from Greatham crowded into the village hall on Monday evening to voice their anxiety and concern that a landowner plans to move travellers and their caravans on to a greenfield site off Longmoor Road, at the end of Wolfmere Lane.
Locals are so worried about the threat they have formed a residents action group and issued posters warning that if travellers were to be granted permanent or even temporary planning permission to use the site, it would have a "major impact" on the v
illage and the value of nearby homes.
The dispute came to a head at the parish council's meeting on Monday, when residents, used to parking their vehicles in Wolfmere Lane, said that two notices had been erected in the lane by a wheel clamping company from Southampton, stating that the cost of removing a wheel clamp would be £150.
As a result, residents were now having to park their cars in Longmoor Road.
According to parish council chairman Alan Bridgman, the controversial site is a sloping field, which has recently been fenced and cleared by the new landowner and can be approached by a bridle path that runs alongside Wolfmere Lane – but the path had not actually been used since 1968.
He told the meeting: "Since its acquisition by the new landowner, solicitors have written to the residents on the southern side of Wolfmere Lane, notifying them that any parked vehicles on the bridle path will be wheel-clamped, although offers to purchase the land would be considered."
He added: "Residents have formed a representative organisation, and notified nearby residents of Longmoor Road, since they are concerned by rumours of plans to move caravans on to the site during the Christmas holiday period, when district council enforcement staff will be unavailable to take any preventative action."
Local resident Gail Anderson told the meeting: "I remember that many years ago the then landowner Jack Marks had offered to surrender the bridle path to neighbouring residents, but no formal transfer had taken place."
Another resident, David Marks, commented that Wolfmere Lane had been tarmacadamed by the council in 1969 – and the use of the lane as a bridle path had then ceased.
Cllr Bridgman said after the meeting: "There have been a lot of things going on up here and they have been going on for some time.
"We don't even know who the actual landowner is - but it is obvious there is considerable apprehension by residents that the new owner of the site has clear plans to move in some of his travelling companions over Christmas and take over the field, with the recently-erected wooden shed there being converted into a shower block ready for the travellers."
The residents' action plan poster stressed: "If this happens there is a strong possibility that the travellers, with special regulatory dispensation, will be granted temporary planning permission pending an appeal by East Hampshire District Council, which could take two to three years to run."
It continued: "Even then, there is no guarantee that the council would win the appeal, as it has yet to identify any designated sites for travellers."
Mr Bridgman told the meeting that planning enforcement matters were the responsibility of the district council and Greatham Parish Council would be consulting with the district's enforcement officer, urging them to ensure that existing regulations were complied with.
An East Hampshire District Council planning spokesman said: "Planning permission would be required if someone wanted to live on the field for any length of time."
He confirmed that to date, there had been no breaches of planning control on the site and that no applications for residency had been received.
He also said at there were currently no caravans on the field.
At the time of going to press the Post was unable to identify or make contact with the landowner of the site.
