Residents in the Kent hamlet of Sandway say five unauthorised traveller sites have appeared near their homes in nine months, driving down property prices.
The hamlet, located in the Maidstone district, consists of just 17 houses. Aerial photographs show four unauthorised traveller sites containing half a dozen caravans along a short stretch of road running through the settlement, with a fifth site situated further off.
Several villagers declined to give their names or be photographed due to fear of reprisals. One anonymous resident said: "Obviously we are not happy. It has lowered the value of our houses. It has changed the area. I won't go down certain roads anymore."
The resident added: "Residents don't want to talk because we live here and we don't want backlash. If I put my name to it they are only down the road so they could come and look into my barn. They need to clamp down on the lorries bringing the mobile homes here. Once they are down there is nothing we can do."
Unauthorised sites in Sandway
In total, there are six unauthorised traveller sites in the immediate Sandway area, alongside three authorised sites in nearby Lenham Heath. One site in the Warren Lands has been used by travellers for several years and is currently subject to a contempt of court order. The other five unauthorised sites have all appeared within the last nine months.
The newest site, located near the Wishful Thinker pub, began topsoil removal work in May. Residents reported the activity to Maidstone Borough Council immediately. When a council officer inspected the site, the authority concluded the land was requested for horse grazing and found no breach of planning permission.
Residents claim that over the following bank holiday weekend, workers removed several hedges, installed fresh water pipes, and placed a large mobile home on the land. The landowner has since submitted a retrospective planning application.
Planning permission complaints
Local residents expressed frustration over perceived double standards in planning enforcement. Sarah, 35, who moved into Sandway just over a year ago, said: "It is just a bit annoying really. They just keep appearing. It doesn't look very nice. Every time I walk down the road I see another one. It doesn't seem that there is much that can be done."
She added: "It is frustrating that I have to go through planning permission to paint my door and they can put a stonking great mobile home there and it is all fine."
A 43-year-old resident of 12 years, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being targeted, lives in a conservation area. He said: "It is one rule for them and another rule for us, which is ridiculous. Clearly the council doesn't want to do anything. I think everyone here has written to them."
He noted that acquiring permission to cut down a tree in his garden took considerable time, saying: "We have to jump through all these hoops and they don't enforce it for anyone else. They punish people for following the rules." He warned that without council action, more sites would appear and harm property values, adding: "They throw foul water out into the streets and they burn big fires. From an environmental point of view, it is very bad. It looks like a scrapyard."
Council response and policy gaps
Lenham Parish Council chairman Cllr John Britt confirmed that six sites exist in and around Sandway. He said: "I am not minimising the impact of so many sites around such a small and rural settlement. However, the issue is not necessarily the proliferation of sites such as these, but the lack of a policy which indicates where they might be placed. This lack of direction is unfair on both the Travelling and settled communities."
Britt stated that Maidstone Borough Council, as the Local Planning Authority, is responsible for assessing borough developments and creating a local plan that designates where Gypsy, Travelling, and Showpeople (GT&S) communities can settle. He noted: "This aspect of the local plan policy has been missing since the last formal assessment of such need for the GT&S communities was implemented in 2011."
Residents are calling on Maidstone Borough Council to halt the unauthorised developments. A Maidstone council spokesman said: "We understand the concerns raised and are investigating both the planning issues and the complaint. Officers are currently reviewing all available evidence before determining the most appropriate course of action and it would not be appropriate to comment further while those investigations are ongoing."
Local views on travellers
Some villagers offered a different perspective. A pensioner living next to one of the sites said: "I suppose people are worried about their house prices being affected but they haven't caused any problems. We get more noise from the pub and people causing trouble at closing times or revving their cars than we do from travellers."
The pensioner added: "I wonder how many of them are travellers and how many are people who are just trying to find somewhere to live. If you are in your 20s then not many people can find £30,000 for a deposit."
Another resident of 44 years expressed similar sentiments, saying: "They need to live somewhere. There aren't any sites for them to go to, and they aren't allowed to keep moving. It doesn't bother me. I haven't seen any problems."
