A MAKESHIFT, unauthorised encampment in Salisbury has been cleared after five years.

Planning enforcement officers from Wiltshire Council have long been fighting to see the site – to the rear of The Brambles – cleared through legal processes.

The council said the site had been an issue for a number of years, hosting a makeshift, unauthorised camp, complete with caravan and other temporary buildings.

During this time, the occupant’s anti-social behaviour was causing issues for the local community, including the nearby Chafyn Grove School, the council added.

“The problems began in 2019, when the encampment was reported to the council, which then began the enforcement process,” a spokesperson said.

“The first stage saw the council issue a planning contravention notice, followed by an enforcement notice for the occupier to leave the land and remove the encampment.

“The occupier failed to comply with the enforcement notice, and so they were successfully prosecuted by the council for non-compliance in 2022 and were fined £5,000, plus £1,000 for the council’s legal costs and other charges that brought the final total to £6,470, with a collection order.

“Unfortunately, the occupier continued not to comply and was successfully prosecuted for a second time in October 2023, with a £5,000 fine ordered to be paid within three years.”

The site has now been cleared. Picture: Wiltshire Council

However, the site still wasn’t cleared in July of this year, when council officers moved in and finally cleared the site.

Cllr Nick Botterill, cabinet member for development management, said: “Like many enforcement cases, this was a complicated and drawn-out process that was further delayed due to the pandemic.

“However, thanks to the tenacity of our excellent enforcement officers, we have achieved the right result and have now cleared the land.

“They have worked closely with local residents, farmers, elected members, the parish council Wiltshire Police, the nearby school, legal colleagues and many other stakeholders to successfully secure the site.

“We will not tolerate unauthorised developments in Wiltshire, and as this case shows, we will take action and work to resolve these issues for as long as it takes.

“In this case, the person involved was causing significant issues for the local community through antisocial behaviour, and so I’m very pleased that we could resolve this for local people.”