RESIDENTS of a gated park home site have had a ‘one hundred tonne weight’ lifted from their shoulders after being told they will not face enforcement action.

Christchurch council announced 18 months ago it was intending to take action at Tall Trees in Matchams Lane, saying the homes there were legally holiday lets and could not be used as the residents’ main homes.

This was despite the borough claiming council tax from the occupants for many years.

However the council has now conceded, after evaluating a recent judgement on another site in similar circumstances, it cannot take enforcement action against residents.

It had set aside £600,000 to fund a bid to enforce the holiday park conditions. Dorset County Council also launched an investigation into misselling by the previous site owner.

Mandy Miller (above), chairman of the Tall Trees Homeowners Association, said: “We moved here three-and-a-half years ago and a few days later got the notice about the planned enforcement. It is coming up to 18 months since they served the notice.

“It has been a lot of hard work and it will be brilliant when everything is sorted legally.”

The council delivered letters to all residents informing them of the withdrawn enforcement action.

Other Tall Trees residents said they have remained positive and rallied against the threat to their homes, highlighting the relief that a “one hundred tonne weight had been lifted from our shoulders”.

Janet Hewett, whose husband Chris passed away last year, said: “It really did upset Chris. He couldn’t control what was happening to his family.

“It is a real shame he isn’t here with us to take in the good news. These last few years have been an absolute nightmare for all of us.”

Paul Bennett, Tall Trees resident since 2012, added: “Everyone has been on edge while this has been going on. Quite a lot of people have been her longer than us.

“The fact the council took tax from us was a real bugbear for people.”

Residents confirmed there was speculation that the previous owner may now sue the council for loss of earnings while the site was designated as holiday homes.

David Barnes, Christchurch Borough Council’s strategic director, said the withdrawal of the enforcement action follows a successful appeal by Bournemouth & District Outdoor Club to land north of Matchams Drive, near the Tall Trees site.

“We took specialist counsel’s opinion from a QC asking can we take enforcement action and the counsel said yes,” Mr Barnes said.

“We went to committee in 2016 and members authorised officers to carry out enforcement action on this and other cases, which is what we have been doing.

“We have a responsibility to keep these things under review. There was a recent appeal against a refusal of a certificate of lawful use for a site on Matchams Lane in East Dorset. The outcome of that appeal was it was allowed. The circumstances on that site are quite similar to the Tall Trees site.

“Having read through the judgement, our legal team carried out a case review and the conclusion was on the basis of that case it would not be right to continue the enforcement action on Tall Trees.”

The council said the landowner is proposing to apply for a new certificate of use for all pitches on the site.

Mr Barnes said he was not aware of a case against the council for loss of earnings.