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In the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday, Nina Johnson-Marshall, a senior planning enforcement officer, was given a ‘blue-light’ police escort through the highways and byways of Hertfordshire.
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Marshall → see → Hertfordshire
In her possession was a High Court injunction which had just been issued, out of hours, by a duty judge.
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which → issue → judge
The destination was Sawbridgeworth, a genteel market town near Bishop’s Stortford, which had been invaded by travellers over the weekend.
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which → invade → weekend
The all-too familiar incursion received extensive media coverage.
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incursion → receive → coverage
Few outside this small corner of Hertfordshire, however, will be aware of the drama – reminiscent of a scene from a film – involving Ms Johnson-Marshall and her race against the clock to serve the injunction.
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Few → involve → injunction
The travellers had already covered the plot of greenbelt land, a habitat for wildlife, with hardcore and were planning to occupy the site permanently with mobile homes and caravans.
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travellers → cover → homes
Had this happened they would probably still be there today, having applied for retrospective planning permission and exploiting every loophole in the human rights legislation playbook.
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they → happen → playbook
Residents in other parts of the country will bear testament to this.
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Residents → bear → this
Police cars arrived at the site in Sawbridgeworth at 12.30am on Bank Holiday Monday, where diggers had begun work on the land
A concrete base had been laid on the site alongside fencing over the bank holiday weekend
Planning enforcement officer Nina Johnson-Marshall arrived by car at the site at 12.30am with a High Court injunction following a ‘blue-light’ police escort through Hertfordshire
At precisely 12.30am on August 31, when Ms Johnson-Marshall arrived in Sawbridgeworth accompanied by a police patrol car and posted a copy of the injunction on the newly erected wooden perimeter fence of the as-yet-uninhabited encampment, what until then had been a civil case became a matter for the police.
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been → arrive → police
The order gave officers at the scene the power of arrest if there was further ‘development’ on the grassland next to Sheering Mill Lane, and prohibited ‘the occupation of any caravans, vehicles or mobile homes’.
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order → give → caravans
These were some of the wide-ranging restrictions imposed by the judge following a campaign by residents who blocked the entry to the site.
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who → range → site
One of the main reasons for his decision was because he heard that someone on the encampment had used an offensive term to describe a Jewish protester, who was then told menacingly: ‘I am going to follow you home and burn your house down.’
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I → hear → house
Those who did not comply with the order were warned they could be held in ‘contempt of court’ and be ‘imprisoned, or fined’ or their ‘assets may be seized’.
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assets → comply → court
At 9am, before the unwelcome visitors had time to install their accommodation, the area was cleared, without incident, by the police, to the cheers and applause of locals who watched the convoy of vans and trucks with heavy machinery leave the area.
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convoy → have → area
‘All gone,’ announced Greg Rattey, a local councillor and a former mayor of Sawbridgeworth, on Facebook.
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Rattey → go → Facebook
Behind this almost unprecedented victory – it’s hard to remember such a successful legal outcome elsewhere – is the inspiring story of how the good people of Sawbridgeworth, known locally as ‘Sawbo’, mobilised to save their town from the scourge of those travellers who have blighted communities with threatening, intimidatory and anti-social behaviour.
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who → ’ → behaviour
One day they really might make a movie or TV special about it.
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they → make → it
Surely Nina Johnson-Marshall, from East Hertfordshire District Council, would get a leading role.
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Marshall → get → role
How many provincial planning officials have been ‘blue-lighted’ in the line of duty?
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officials → light → duty
The real stars of the saga, though, are the law-abiding taxpayers of Sawbridgeworth, which has a population of just over 10,000, and was best known, until now at least, for its links with the world of celebrity.
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which → abide → celebrity
‘Beckingham Palace’, the former country estate of David and Victoria Beckham, is located here and Sir Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster, who live a little over a mile away, have been spotted walking along the quaint streets of the town with shops such as Christine’s (‘traditional home baking’), The House of Harlequin Boutique (‘ladies fashion & accessories’) and Violets Floral Designs.
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who → locate → Boutique
In this genteel setting, it was incongruous to see the ‘site manager’ – a bare-chested, tattooed man drinking a can of beer.
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it → see → beer
He and his ilk underestimated the grit and spirit of the opposition in Sawbridgeworth.
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He → underestimate → Sawbridgeworth
Almost within minutes of lorries arriving with diggers and hardcore at the start of the bank holiday break last Friday, when workmen began excavating, installing fencing, and felling trees on the site, the alarm was sounded on WhatsApp and Facebook and a very middle-class protest swung into action.
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protest → arrive → action
Soon hundreds of residents were manning the ‘front line’ in Sheering Mill Lane.
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hundreds → man → Lane
Prosecco was served along with teas and coffees and cakes.
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Prosecco → serve → teas
Many camped out overnight in five-hour shifts.
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Many → camp → shifts
Among those who answered the call was a Girl Guides leader, a semi-retired City worker with his ‘Westie’ highland terrier Bianca and 72-year-old retired postmistress Margaret Shields.
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leader → answer → terrier
At the same time, a crack team of litigation lawyers, including a barrister lauded by industry bible Legal 500, was assembled by the local authority, which described the operation as a ‘masterclass in effective collaboration’ between the community and the council.
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which → include → community
All in the space of 72 hours over the bank holiday when town halls are shut.
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halls → shut → holiday
Hence the reason why so many ‘land grabs’ occur during this period.
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grabs → occur → period
The site was previously a wildlife-rich floodplain next to a rare chalk stream
Police officers at the site, standing near a caravan parked at the wildlife haven
‘We cannot let these travellers do what they want,’ was the battle cry from a resolute Ms Shields.
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cry → stand → Shields
‘If we don’t stand up to them, then who will?
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who → stand → them
It has not come without cost, however.
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It → come → cost
The land, a wildlife-rich floodplain next to a rare chalk stream, which attracts muntjac deer, has been all but destroyed and will require a small fortune to restore to its natural state.
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which → attract → state
The question residents are now asking is: who ‘sold out’ Sawbridgeworth?
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who → ask → Sawbridgeworth
Two men – Leonard Richards and Darren Glover – were named on the injunction, along with ‘persons unknown’, as the registered owners of the two parcels of land at the site, but the legal papers also make it clear that ‘one or both’ may ‘ultimately be removed as defendants’ because the Land Registry hasn’t been updated.
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Registry → name → defendants
So exactly who owns the land, and who is responsible for selling the grassland to travellers remains unclear.
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who → own → travellers
Mr Richards, 55, who lives in Dunmow, Essex, acquired his plot for £20,000 in 2003 and runs a successful driveway and road surfacing company.
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who → live → company
Town councillors described him as a ‘reputable businessman’ whose firm has been used by the authority itself.
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firm → describe → authority
…and 34 more, not listed.
