Emergency injunction is granted at unauthorised Travellers' site

The granting of an emergency injunction prohibiting any further works to an unauthorised travellers’ encampment at Hall Moss Farm in Darwen has been welcomed by a local councillor.

The interim order is the latest twist in the controversial saga of the site close to Whitehall Park, which began in 2024.

Blackburn with Darwen Council had been reviewing the site closely ever since it served a Full Stop Notice and Enforcement Notice in July that year.

They banned all engineering works and ordered that the land must be returned to the condition it was before occupation.

The landowner made a backdated planning permission for a change of use from agriculture to a Gypsy caravan site, including six plots – each with a static and two mobile caravans.

This was refused in March but appealed to the government’s planning inspectorate, with a public hearing scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 16, at Blackburn Town Hall.

The landowner also appealed the council’s Enforcement Notice, which a planning Inspector upheld with 11 months’ grace from February before it took effect to allow the main appeal to be concluded.

But, after officials observed continuing evidence of breaches of the Full Stop Notice, the council applied to Manchester Civil Justice Centre for a temporary injunction.

At an emergency hearing on Tuesday, Judge Nigel Bird granted that interim injunction.

Darwen East Labour councillor Anthony Shaw said: “I welcome the court’s decision to impose this injunction.

“The breaches of the stop notices have been numerous, repeated and obvious to all residents for a long time now and I’m glad that this legal action has now been taken.

“I thank all residents who provided evidence and reported such breaches.

“”This is a really good result for residents and I’m glad the court has now imposed this injunction which gives real teeth to enforcement.

“The public hearing will be when the decision is made regarding the planning and I will be there to voice residents’ feelings.

“The site is wholly unsuitable and I hope we will finally have a resolution.”