Caravan park owner's 'blatant contempt' for habitat

The site near Langport is a crucial breeding site for birds

A caravan park owner has been fined more than £116,000 after admitting disturbing land used as a breeding ground for birds.

John Holland, 59, of Moorlinch in Somerset, appeared before Taunton Crown Court on Wednesday 26 November after admitting two offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 at earlier hearings.

A four-year Natural England prosecution showed Holland had created a permanent caravan park on 1.2 hectares (2.96 acres) of grassland within the Wet Moor site of special scientific interest (SSSI) near Langport.

The court heard that between March 2018 and April 2022 he "crammed" more than 90 caravans and 40 vehicles onto the fields showing "blatant contempt" for the habitat.

A before (left) and after of the site where Holland built his site

During this time he created 300 metres of road surface, as well as dumping household and commercial waste on the site, according to the Local Democracy News Service.

Holland, of Tapmoor Road, and his family unsuccessfully applied five times between 2011 and 2018 for planning consent to develop the site into a permanent caravan park, and these refusals were subsequently upheld by the Planning Inspectorate.

The site provides nationally important breeding habitat for threatened populations of wading birds and supports internationally important populations of red-listed bird species.

Natural England concluded the works carried out by Holland had resulted in "habitat loss, displacement and long-term disturbance" to these birds, and charged Holland with two offences in March 2023.

Financial investigators found Holland had accrued more than £1m in "unexplained cash and assets", which arose from his unlawful operation of the caravan park.

'Flagrant disregard'

The court ordered Holland to pay Natural England £116,263 within three months – an amount limited by his ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

The court also ordered him to restore the site to its former condition by 23 January 2026, removing all caravans and associated infrastructure and creating and maintaining habitat for breeding and wintering birds.

In sentencing Holland, His Honour Judge Richard Shepherd said: "You had numerous opportunities to rectify the damage caused and carried on regardless, which amplified the effects on the site's fauna and flora.

"This was a deliberate and persistent set of offending which showed a flagrant disregard of the law."

Following the hearing, Natural England national delivery director Matt Heard said: "Holland's behaviour has shown blatant contempt for this intentionally important conservation site and the rare and threatened species that depend upon it."