High Court allows 12 caravans to remain at site near Winston Churchill’s family home until trial

A High Court judge has amended an injunction to allow 12 caravans and their occupants to remain at a privately owned field near Sir Winston Churchill’s family home until the case is heard in full, the court confirmed on Monday.

The site, at Seasons Farm in the Kent village of Pootings — a few miles from Chartwell, the former Churchill family estate — was transformed into a caravan park in about 48 hours after a group arrived on the evening of Aug. 22. Local residents and their Conservative Member of Parliament, Laura Trott, had described the works as a "cynical" and rapid attempt to establish the site before council officers could obtain legal action to stop it.

Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) had secured an earlier High Court order on Aug. 24 preventing further development at the field, saying the pace and scale of works over the bank holiday weekend were "extraordinary." Local accounts and council statements say a large area of farmland was cleared and fenced to create lots with static caravans and artificial lawns.

At a hearing on Sept. 15, Mrs Justice Henrietta Hill amended an interim injunction previously granted by Mr Justice Ian Dove to preserve the current position on the ground. The judge said the amendment allowed the caravans already on the land to remain "until a further hearing," but she ordered that no further caravans be brought onto the land and no additional occupants be permitted in existing caravans.

"Essentially, this does preserve the current status quo, however that has been reached," the judge said, adding that both sides could not be correct about how the situation arose. The case is expected to be relisted for a full trial in January, after the parties have had time to gather expert evidence.

SDC said it would "explore all legal options available" following the court’s decision. The council has warned that if works continued after the original injunction was served, those responsible could face criminal charges.

Five people were listed as defendants on the original injunction: Patrick Delaney, William Harrington, John Quilligan, Thomas O'Brien and Thomas Coffey. Counsel for the landowners, Alan Masters, told the High Court that the original injunction "should never have been made," arguing the owners were permitted to move caravans onto the site and that the presence of caravans should have prompted the court to consider welfare issues.

Ms. Trott, whose constituency includes Sevenoaks, said those responsible began work late on a Friday "clearly hoping that no action could be taken until after the long weekend." She called for changes to the law to make the behaviour a criminal offence, and said she would raise the matter with government ministers.

SDC characterised the weekend’s activity as an "extraordinary" development and said officers acted swiftly to obtain the earlier injunction. After Monday’s hearing a council spokesperson reiterated that the amended interim injunction permits the current number of caravans and occupants to remain only until a future hearing date.

The January hearing is expected to address disputed factual and legal claims about how the site was established, compliance with planning rules, and any rights asserted by the defendants. Both sides have indicated they will rely on expert evidence to support their cases.