Taxpayer and council in lengthy dispute over plot of land

Eve Holding says a 6x25m plot of land at her former address will become ‘a rubbish dump’ if trees are cut down, as proposed by Oxfordshire County Council.

Ms Holding and her husband moved to The Causeway, East Hanney in 2000 and sought to legally claim the small plot of land.

She says she was told by the county council at the time it wasn’t highways land and could therefore claim it, however a council spokesperson said officers may have advised her that the land did not belong to the council, but would not have advised that it was not a public highway.

When a planning application was submitted several years later at the nearby Weir Farm, Ms Holding says she was then told she was blocking the highway after she had planted trees on the plot of land.

A taxpayer has been involved in a lengthy dispute with Oxfordshire County Council over a plot of land in East Hanney. Picture: Ed Nix

Ms Holding said: “We planted 30 trees there and the council wants to cut some of them down.

“Some of the trees have been there since the 1970s and now the council wants them cut down as a result of the planning inspectorate saying it is highways land.

“In August, we were told we were obstructing the highway, and that we needed to remove the trees and fencing.

“I don’t dispute the land anymore but I want compensation if I’m going to cut down the trees.”

Ms Holding says she has spent in excess of £20,000 on the case, while an FOI she submitted in 2019 found the council had spent more than £10,000 at the time.

A council spokesperson told the Oxford Mail that cost was due to the local authority being ‘drawn into a long-running dispute in order to undertake its duty to protect public rights’.

A taxpayer has been involved in a lengthy dispute with Oxfordshire County Council over a plot of land in East Hanney. Picture: Ed Nix

If the trees are to be removed, Ms Holding said the land will go back to what it was when she moved to East Hanney 21 years ago – ‘a rubbish dump’.

She is also frustrated at the council for not meeting deadlines during the lengthy dispute.

The council spokesperson said Ms Holding’s complaints are being investigated and she will receive a response in due course.

The spokesperson added: “Actions we have taken in relation to this land were to ensure it remains a public right of way.

“There is no reason to believe that this area will become a rubbish dump. If material is dumped here, it will be reported to the district council and be removed.

“A council officer responded to Ms Holding within a two-day period advising her that he was happy to meet at the site to discuss the works required to remove the obstructions from the highway, but not the matter of compensation.

“A further email was sent by Ms Holding and that was responded to within a one-month period.”