Writtle Parish Council has accused Chelmsford City Council of sitting on its hands despite warnings travellers would set up an illegal home in the village.

Despite receiving warnings of the likely illegal development near Hylands Park just off of the A414 Ongar Road, the council is accused of failing to act to stop further development until four days after caravans started to be moved onto the plot.

Parish Council chairman Chris Hibbitt said a review of the process should take place that could help halt illegal development early on and that residents warned the city council that this would happen  – yet nothing was done.

He said: “A whole load of letters were sent in by residents which we were copied in on.

“They said the precedent was there and was almost certain and the owner would abuse the planning rules and that it would happen and that it would happen when the city council was closed until the Monday.

“The travellers knew the wrinkles and if there is nothing functional for two days it gives them a two-day head start to get everything done and get organised.”

The owner of the site sought planning permission for hardstanding for four travellers pitches on the green belt land near to the field on Highwood Road in the village, but was turned down last month.

Yet early on the morning of Saturday, October 27, a fleet of caravans and a digger arrived at the site and during the morning a convoy of lorries arrived delivering building material.

It was not until the next Monday morning that the city council’s planning enforcement team visited the site to assess the work and interview the occupants.

The next day the council obtained an Injunction Order, which was served on the occupants prohibiting further development.

An Enforcement notice will be issued but there is a right for appeal to the Secretary of State and based on other appeals this could take many months, into next year, before the site can be restored to its pre-development condition, if at all.

The operation mirrors one in Blackmore in which travellers paid £130,000 for the plot of land on Maundy Thursday 2009, then moved in with diggers at 7am on Good Friday and by Easter Monday had laid down roads. Brentwood Council is now set to formalise the site as an authorised traveller plot.

A spokeswoman for Chelmsford City Council said: “As a local planning authority, we receive a lot of messages speculating on potential breaches and warning about issues that have not yet arisen.

“Although we can monitor situations, in order to take enforcement action the council must be able to show that a breach of planning control has either taken place or is highly likely to take place.

“In this case that would include actual building or engineering works taking place to prepare the land in question.

“We understand and respect that Writtle Parish Council are concerned to protect their local area from unauthorised development.