Stockbroker belt millionaires’ fury as travellers purchase a discipline in conservation space ‘value £5million’ and Tarmac it in a single day with no planning permission – and transfer in caravans

Millionaire residents of a village in Surrey’s stockbroker belt say they are ‘living in a nightmare’ after a local landowner sold off a field site next to their homes to travellers – who promptly tarmacked over it and erected fences in an overnight operation without planning permission. 

For years, residents of the pretty village of Ockham, where some properties valued at almost £2.3million, have looked onto the picturesque greenbelt land, which is also a conservation area. 

But that all changed after local landowner James Frances auctioned off 1.5 acres of land in the village near Guilford near his home to travellers. 

It is unknown whether Mr Frances was aware who purchased the land, which property experts say would have cost £5million on the open market with permission to build on it. 

But residents say the businessman would have awoken with horror as they did a fortnight ago on October 24th when they realised that overnight the new owners had turned it into a car park and moved their caravans and trailers onto it. 

Without warning, the new inhabitants waited until nightfall before ‘at least 50’ trucks and diggers descended on the land, pulling down the hedges and foliage.

Police officers were called the following day – but, after seeing proof of ownership, they left the grounds explaining to residents that it was a ‘civil matter’.

Over the course of the weekend – while the local council offices remained closed and fury built within the local community – building work at the site continued at all hours of the day and night.

By Sunday, tarmac was along most of the site, with a new road created leading onto the area, where now various caravans and motorhomes have parked up.

Residents were further enraged when it emerged that Mr Frances, 54, a consultant, and his wife Vanessa had sold the plot, which backs onto their own property worth £3million, without planning permission for a mere £175,000.

One of Mr Frances’s neighbours who declined to give their name, told the Daily Mail: ‘It has been a living nightmare in all honesty. No one slept a wink for the whole week after they first arrived and started working on the site.

‘People are on tenterhooks. We’ve had to go back to things like locking our cars, which never really bothered me before, and making sure everything is bolted. Everyone here is absolutely furious with what’s happened. This headache is right on our doorstep and it’s devaluing our properties by the day.’

They added: ‘This nightmare began on October 24. There were lorries lined up all along the road. Tipper lorries, and there were a lot of them, as well as an excavator. They broke all the foliage down so they could widen the entrance.

‘There must have been at least 50 lorries and I am not exaggerating. They were going in and out of there until 2 o’clock in the morning before it continued on Saturday. It really has been quite dreadful and they have no planning permission, that’s for sure.

‘The whole thing is really not nice. I am not scared of them so it doesn’t really bother me but a lot of people are scared. It’s pretty grim and you can’t really see what they are doing because they have built those fences so high.

Another added: ‘We went to the person who sold the land in rage when we heard about it. We thought they would at least care who they are selling too as you can throw a rock from their home and hit one of the caravans.’

Another woman living close to the site added: ‘Obviously it’s an eyesore because we used to look out onto these lovely green fields.

‘It’s a greenbelt and it’s a conservation area and they have no planning permission. We can’t even change our windows on our houses because they have to all be the same.

‘It’s bizarre the council won’t let us change the windows but people can come in and concrete an entire field and plonk 60 trailers on it.

‘They have also cut down the oak trees which have a tree protection order.

Most of the other neighbours living in the wealthy area, however, are too scared to speak out – even anonymously – as they fear repercussions.

When the Daily Mail visited the area this week, tense conversations were going on between some of the travellers and local authority staff.

The men could be heard telling council members to ‘get off’ their land.

A spokesman for Guildford Borough Council said they are looking into enforcement action and are taking legal advice about a possible High Court injunction.

Julia McShane, leader of Guildford Borough Council said: ‘We are aware of the recent work carried out on the site in Alms Heath, Ockham. We are dealing with this as a priority to establish a full understanding of the situation.

‘We are assessing the case fully and considering all enforcement options. We take any planning breach in our borough extremely seriously.

‘We must work within the law, which means that solutions may not be instant, but we will always respond.

‘As with all unauthorized development, we’ll follow the required processes and work at pace to resolve this case as soon as possible.’

Surrey Police added: ‘Officers were called to attend Alms Heath in Ockham shortly after 6.30pm on Friday, 24 October following a report that men were moving machinery onto a field and beginning building work on site.

Concerns have been raised around ownership and planning permission for the land.

‘The investigation into these issues will sit with Guildford Borough Council.’

Zoe Franklin MP posted on Facebook: ‘I have been made aware by local residents of potentially unauthorised development taking place at Alms Heath in Ockham.

‘I understand that this is a concerning situation and want to confirm that I am in regular contact with Guildford Borough Council who are taking the appropriate legal steps to address the issue.’

Mr and Mrs Frances declined to comment.