Work has begun on a £4.2 million project to renovate a Traveller community site where Wallingford PC Andrew Harper’s killers hid after his death, with residents and local councillors branding the works as an "obscene" use of public money. 

PC Harper, who was 28 at the time of his death and based at Abingdon Police Station, was responding to a reported burglary in Sulhamstead in Berkshire in August, 2019, when he confronted the suspected burglars, became entangled in a fleeing quad bike, and was then dragged along a nearby road. 

Three teenagers involved in his death - Henry Long, 19, and Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18 - hid at the Four Houses Corner site in Ufton Nervet, where they destroyed evidence linked to the police officer's killing. 

READ MORE: Developer defends housing scheme after floods leave surrounding roads underwater

The trio - who were convicted of manslaughter and are serving prison sentences between 13 and 16 years - had been arrested at the site. 

Now building work has begun to renovate the 18-pitch plot, which is designated for members of the Traveller community.

The Four Houses Corner site in Ufton Nervet.The Four Houses Corner site in Ufton Nervet. (Image: NQ) The plot had been abandoned in 2020, with occupants rehoused by West Berkshire Council. 

Councillor Jeff Brooks, leader of the local authority, has said he hopes the redevelopment will act as a "re-set" in community relations. 

Mr Brooks said: "We see this as an opportunity to re-set relations and despite the tragic past, deliver and manage a site as an exemplar of what a traveller site can be.”

But the proposal for the works saw nearby residents and PC Harper's family react with outrage earlier this year, with the police officer's mother appearing at a planning meeting in March. 

 “Ask yourselves honestly if Andrew was your son would you approve this?” she asked councillors. 

Further objections came from Thames Valley Police, with a spokesperson from the force saying that the site had long been used for “criminal activities”.

The strength of feeling has not died down, according to shadow council leader Ross McKinnon, who said "99 per cent" of nearby residents remain opposed to the site. 

He said: "The level of opposition has been off the charts. Residents are extremely concerned.

"Thames Valley Police put in an objection which is almost unheard of. It's not just NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard), it's the police who have come out and opposed it.

"The amount of money the council is spending for 18 pitches is extortionate - it's obscene."

Mr Brooks said the council was "acutely aware of the history of the site" and concerns had been considered - but the council had "no choice."

He said: "So long as proposals meet best practice and policy, we effectively had no choice but to redevelop the site as suitable alternative sites do not exist."

The works are scheduled to finish around April 2025.