A group of copanies tied to a convicted drug dealer has been purchasing traveller “land grab” sites and using heavy machinery to bulldoze and pave them, according to a Daily Mail investigation. Work began on Friday at a site in West Chiltington, West Sussex, near the famed Nyetimber sparkling wine estate, and continued over the weekend despite temporary stop notices from Horsham District Council. The same tactics were used in Willows Green,Essex, where a team of about 30 travellers had recently bulldozed a field on Friday, May 1.

West Chiltington’s Sudden Transformation Near Nyetimber

Work with heavy machinery began on Friday at a site in West Chiltington, West Sussex , close to the world‑renowned English sparkling wine estate Nyetimber. The Daily Mail reports that the bulldozing continued throughout the weekend even after Horsham District Council issued temporary stop notices designed to ban any further development. The council was warned in advance by the newspaper that the development was about to occur.

Willows Green’s Weekend Bulldozing by a Traveller Team

The same bulldozing tactics were employed in the hamlt of Willows Green, near Felsted, Essex, on Friday, May 1. Locals watched in horror as travellers used construction vehicles to concrete over a field. The Daily Mail’s alert to the council came before the work began, highlighting a pattern of unauthorised developments over long weekends when council enforcement teams are at home.

Companies Behind the Purchases Linked to a Convicted Drug Dealer

According to the Daily Mail, the same people who are not thouught to be part of the traveller community are behind a group of companies that bought both West Chiltington and Willows Green sites for cash last year. The network is tied to Chad Brady, a 31‑year‑old Yorkshireman who was pictured outside Hull Crown Court in April . Brady admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply and received a two‑year suspended prison sentence.

Unanswered Questions About the Development Scheme

Who exactly owns the companies that purchased the sites, and how are they financing the bulldozing and paving? Why were the councils warned in advance yet unable to prevent the work? What legal mechanisms are the developers using to apply for retrospective planning permission after the fact? These questions remain unanswered as the investigation continues.

According to the Daily Mail, the trend involves travellers building unauthorised developments over long weekends and then applying for retrospective planning permission to make them permanent.. The report highlights the role of a convicted drug dealer’s network in facilitating these schemes.