A council is taking legal action to remove 31 unauthorised caravans on a spot of land in the borough.

In 2022, permission for eight plots to home 16 caravans was granted in Spade Lane, Hartlip, was granted on appeal by a government planning inspector.

However, since then the site, known as New Acres, has seen several more encampments set up.

Swale council issued an enforcement notice for the breach of planning permission on Tuesday, April 16, which means the owners have six months to remove the additional caravans. Failing to comply is a criminal offence which could lead to prosecution.

A stop notice was issued at the same time, which makes it a criminal offence for any further caravans to be brought onto the site.

A spokesman for the local authority says its officers have found 24 static caravans and 23 touring caravans are spread across the plots, with the “number increasing”.

In 2023, another temporary stop notice on the site was issued which gave the site owners the opportunity to apply for retrospective planning permission for the unauthorised developments while preventing any further development in the interim.

The council says it wants to work proactively with the owners to find “positive solutions” but has been unable to get in touch with the applicant’s planning agent.

Cllr Mike Baldock (Swale Independents Alliance), chairman of the planning committee, said: “We all have to abide by the rules of the planning system and given the scale of the unauthorised development taking place at the site we have been left with no choice but to take legal action.

“We’ve received numerous complaints from residents about unauthorised development at the site, and despite council officers trying to work with the site owner, the situation has got worse.

“We’ll be monitoring the site to make sure they are complying with the notices, and if not, we will take whatever legal action is necessary.”