Son Pens Harsh Letter To Get Migrants Off Parents’ Land

An English man took to Facebook to pen a brutal open letter to local government after he was offered no assistance in kicking illegal migrants off of his elderly parents’ property.

Chris Walsh penned the open letter after the Basildon Council “did nothing” to stop the building of an illegal traveller site right next to his parents’ land.

I am writing to you as a concerned citizen, highly concerned son, and honest, hardworking taxpayer regarding the atrocious treatment of my pensioner parents, and their settled resident neighbours at the hands of Basildon Council and their (from what I can garner) hopelessly inept planning team.

My parents and their neighbours live down Hovefield Avenue. I’m sure this locality is very fresh in your mind, due to the extensive national news coverage that the area has received over the last few days.

At this present time, the area is subject to massive illegal development. Travellers have started to re-develop land that is subject both to previous eviction, and current injunction to prevent further development. Over the course of Friday and Saturday 3rd, and 4th March, approximately 600 tonnes of hardcore and concrete was deposited on to an area of Hovefield that had previously been designated green belt. As of this morning, fence posts and plots are being erected on land north of Hovefield drive which is subject to an Article 4 Directive (An article 4 Directive, as you well know removes ALL permitted development rights. You cannot do so much as put a post in the ground without seeking prior permission).

Walsh gave a history of the area in his letter, explaining that the area where his parents live was overrun with crime in a three-year period, then pleaded with the council to reconsider the unauthorized construction of the site.

For too long now Basildon Council has stood by and neglected the settled residents of Hovefield Avenue (with the exception of the 2 ward councillors, Chris Jackman, and CLLR David Harrison, who have done nothing but support my parents and the residents). For too long you have placed them directly in harm’s way with your refusal to act, or inability to follow simple process. For too long I have worried and lost sleep over the wellbeing of my parents who have previously been prisoners in their own home as a result of the same type of development that threatens to spring up once more.

To put it in to context, my parents in their 60’s. This has been going on for nearly for 16-18 years now on and off. That makes up roughly 25% of their entire life thus far that has been spent in an environment of fear, uncertainty and misery in a wholly devalued property that they cannot escape as it is worthless due to the illegal development surrounding it. I will not allow them to spend what should be their golden years in a similar situation.

I’m sure given the current circumstances you are looking at this situation very closely. You will see I have included local and national press in this mail, as the best way to keep pressure on you, is to keep you in the public eye. When left to your own devices, things seem to move a little slower. A copy of this letter will be published to numerous social media accounts, and local group pages just to keep awareness in the community bof the ongoing situation.

Council leader Phil Turner later released a statement to Express regarding their position.

“Basildon Council completely shares the frustrations and concerns of residents in the Hovefields area about recent incidents of unauthorised development,” the statement read.

“We want to assure residents that the council is using every legal option available to it in an attempt to prevent planning breaches. We have already taken strong enforcement action and used the resources and powers available to us as a local planning authority to their fullest extent. However, there are limits to these powers, and while we would like to be able to do more – and do it more quickly – we have to follow proper process if we want to secure a lasting solution. We are calling on central Government to put the law right to give us emergency powers to take immediate action to stop the misery being suffered by residents and stop our thin resources being stretched.”

Sources: Express, Chris Walsh/Facebook / Photo credit: Express