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North West Essex MP Kemi Badenoch has said she has written urgently to Uttlesford District Council, a Government minister and London Stansted Airport after receiving further information from residents about the unauthorised airport parking operation at New Farm in Elsenham.

In response to correspondence from a local resident, Badenoch said she was “very concerned” about recent reports about the site and additional information residents had shared regarding the scale of the operation. She said local people had been raising concerns for some time about traffic, noise, waste, vermin, alleged dangerous driving, disruption throughout the day and night, and what she described as the impact on public confidence in the planning system.

The MP said she had previously raised the New Farm site with Uttlesford District Council on several occasions. According to Badenoch, the council has confirmed that an enforcement notice has been issued against the site but that the notice remains subject to an appeal.

She acknowledged residents’ frustration, stating that the site appeared to have continued operating and expanding while the legal process progressed.

Badenoch said her latest intervention followed recent reports of works taking place near infrastructure associated with the Stansted Airport fuel pipeline. She confirmed she had written to Uttlesford District Council, the relevant Government minister and Stansted Airport seeking clarification on what assessment had been made of the reported risk.

She said she had also asked which agencies were involved, whether the relevant infrastructure operators had been consulted, and what action was being taken to ensure that residents and the surrounding area were not placed at risk.

The New Farm site has become the focus of an ongoing planning enforcement case alleging that the land has been used for a large-scale commercial airport parking operation without the necessary planning permission. Uttlesford District Council has previously confirmed that enforcement action has been taken, although the outcome remains subject to the planning appeals process.

In her letter, Badenoch said the case demonstrated why, in her view, the planning system required reform. She argued that it should not be possible for unauthorised commercial operations to continue trading while enforcement and appeal procedures were ongoing.

The Conservative Party leader also referred to what she described as similar concerns involving recent unauthorised Traveller developments. She said land could be altered quickly while authorities appeared unable to respond rapidly enough through the existing planning system.

Badenoch said the Conservative Party had proposed measures to strengthen planning enforcement, close what it considers loopholes surrounding retrospective planning applications, and give councils stronger powers when planning rules are deliberately ignored.

She wrote that “people who follow the rules should not be treated as fools, and those who ignore the rules should not be rewarded.”

The MP concluded by saying she understood why residents were frustrated and concerned. She said she would continue to press the relevant authorities for action and keep the matter under close review. She also encouraged residents to continue sending her office first-hand information, photographs, or further updates from the site.

No response from the organisations contacted by Badenoch regarding her latest enquiries had been made public at the time of writing. The planning appeal process relating to the New Farm enforcement notice also remains ongoing.

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