Travellers who bulldozed a wildlife-rich field in Willows Green, Essex, in what residents branded a "Bank Holiday land grab" have now applied for retrospective planning permission to install 12 mobile homes on the site. The group moved in with around 30 vehicles and heavy machinery on 1 May, hours after the local council closed for the long weekend, sparking outrage among nearby residents and prompting a High Court injunction to halt further work. The case has become a flashpoint in a wider debate over planning enforcement, with critics accusing travellers of exploiting bank holidays to carry out unauthorised work before seeking approval after the fact.

The retrospective application, made more than three months after the initial works, covers mobile homes, touring caravans, day rooms, access roads, utilities and landscaping on land near Felsted bought for £150,000 by Edward Myles Anthony Connors. Local Tory MP James Cleverly condemned the "build now, apply later" approach, while Uttlesford District Council said the application does not affect enforcement of the existing injunction. Residents, some of whom say they have been threatened, argue the situation reflects a broader loophole, noting that while roughly 90% of traveller site planning applications are initially refused, about 40% or more succeed when submitted retrospectively.