A Controversial Land Grab and the Rise of Illegal Caravan Parks
A recent incident in Essex has sparked controversy as a group of travellers allegedly turned a wildlife haven into an illegal caravan park. The development, which took place over the May bank holiday weekend, was revealed by a local resident who had previously advertised for buyers on Facebook.
Martin Mongan, a married father-of-two from Ireland, shared architect’s drawings of the site, which was still a green field at the time. He posted these images online, highlighting the location’s proximity to Stansted Airport and the town of Braintree. The land, which was later developed without planning permission, was transformed into a site with 12 identical plots, each designed to accommodate two mobile homes and a touring caravan.
Mongan’s post included a message that read: “Plot for sale. Five miles from Braintree. Fourteen miles from Stansted Airport. No pricers. If interested, message me.” One of the 12 pitches was marked as being for sale. The image of the four-acre field before it was concreted over was also shared.
The development was part of a trend where travellers build unauthorised developments over long weekends when council enforcement teams are not available. They then apply for retrospective planning permission in an attempt to make their projects permanent.
Mongan was also trying to arrange large deliveries of hardcore materials to the Braintree area on May 31. He wrote: “Any truck drivers available over the Easter bank holiday weekend Friday and Saturday in the Braintree area about 20 trucks. We’ve got 120/150 loads we need collected from Dagenham.”
It is understood that he offered tens of thousands of pounds for the job, but no one was available until the May bank holiday.
Travellers at the site claimed the land, located in the historic Essex hamlet of Willows Green, was now owned by two cousins. They said the site was developed unlawfully because the families were desperate for somewhere to live.
However, the fact that Mongan was advertising one of the pitches for sale to third parties questions the claim of a united community seeking somewhere to live. A fed-up neighbour said: “The cheek of it trying to sell a plot without any planning permission before it is built. Talk about speculative development.”
Council Response and Legal Implications
On Thursday, the Mail revealed the site was at risk of being illegally developed over the bank holiday and that Uttlesford District Council and Felsted Parish Council had been warned in advance. However, the district council stated there was nothing it could do until any work started.
The council said: “We are aware of local concerns regarding the land, however, at this stage no breach of planning control has occurred. Planning enforcement is a reactive service – this means the council can only take formal action once a breach has taken place.”
Within hours of the council closing on Friday, an army of workers, vehicles and machinery pulled onto the land. Using lights and generators, diggers began turning over grass ready for hardcore and asphalt. About 30 cars, vans and machines were seen on the site.
Work continued the following morning as shocked residents awoke to the nightmare. There was no district council response until Tuesday.
Local Tory MP James Cleverly visited the site on Saturday and posted a video from its entrance. He then posted a letter demanding a change in the law to prevent travellers being granted retrospective permission for unauthorised sites.
Ownership and Background of Key Individuals
Mr Mongan is from Milton Keynes, according to his Facebook page. He appears to be in the used and scrap car trades, according to a business card he posted on Facebook that had the same mobile phone number he used to advertise the pitch.
The same number is used with a number of businesses that are said to be based at the council-run Willen Traveller Caravan Site in Newport Pagnell. Numerous Facebook photos show Mr Mongan on holiday with his wife and their children.
Mongan denied being involved in the unlawful development and said any questions about the site should be addressed to the people occupying it. He claimed he had only posted it on behalf of someone else.
The land is registered as being owned by UK Real Estate and Land 2 Limited. The firm paid £125,000 cash to the previous owner for the land on April 29 2025, with an overage deed arrangement to pay him more if its value goes on to increase.
Companies House records list one of its directors as Chad Brady, a 31-year-old Yorkshireman. Brady was named at Hull Crown Court last year as the manager of a lucrative cocaine dealing operation in the seaside town of Bridlington.
Brady resigned as a director of UK Real Estate and Land 2 Limited last January as the court case was underway. He is the director of 17 other dissolved companies and three active ones, one of which describes itself as a yoga school.
Uttlesford District Council has been contacted for comment about the revelations.
