We have received a formal update from Lichfield Council’s Planning Enforcement team regarding Case 26/00050/EUD. This is a significant step forward in protecting our Greenbelt.

1. What the Enforcement Notice Requires:
The Council has ordered the landowners to completely undo the unauthorised work. They must:

👉 Rip up and remove all concrete, hardcore, and crushed stone.
👉 Dig out and remove the septic tank, drainage pipework, and infrastructure.
👉 Remove ALL caravans and mobile structures, including water/electric hook-ups.
👉 Stop using the land for caravans entirely.
👉 Restore the land to its original state by backfilling excavations and reseeding it with grass.

2. The Timeline ⏳
Appeal Deadline: The owners have until Wednesday 20th May 2026 to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

Compliance Period: If they don’t appeal (or if they lose the appeal), they have 3 months to clear the site completely.

3. The Injunction (The “Next Level”)

The Council is currently preparing an application for a Court Injunction. While the Enforcement Notice deals with the land use, an Injunction is a powerful court order that can lead to even more severe penalties if ignored. This is being treated as a priority by the Council’s legal team.

4. Important: Managing Expectations 🏡

The Council has clarified a few tough points for us as residents:

Land Ownership: The people on the site are the lawful owners. This is not a trespass issue, so the Council cannot physically “evict” them or stop them from entering their own land right now.

Due Process: Planning law is a statutory process. The Council must follow the legal steps to ensure their case is “robust and proportionate” when it gets to court.

The Stop Notice: The Temporary Stop Notice is still in force. Any continued digging or construction is being logged as evidence for the upcoming court cases.

🚨 What Burntwood needs to do:

The Council has specifically asked us to continue reporting and recording activity.

If you see new hardcore arriving, pipes being laid, or ground being moved, document it and send to the enforcement officer.

Every bit of evidence strengthens the Council’s position in court and makes the Injunction application more powerful.

This is a marathon, not a sprint, but the Council has now laid out a clear legal path to restoring our Greenbelt. Thank you to everyone for your continued vigilance!

#Woodhouses #GreenbeltProtection #LichfieldCouncil #PlanningEnforcement #CommunityAction #WoodhousesLane