WORK being carried out by two brothers on a Fordingbridge field to turn it into a site for their families to live on has been halted by council officers.

Fears have been growing that Felix and Miles Connor along with their families would move onto the Marl Lane field before Easter when workmen moved on to the land, creating an entrance and planted a Leylandii hedge without planning consent, at Four Oaks.

A New Forest District Council spokesman said: “On Thursday, March 26 the council served a temporary stop notice on the site in Marl Lane. This prevents any further materials being brought on to the site or any further work to the access or hard standing for a period of 28 days. If work is carried out in breach of this notice, we will be able to respond quickly and take further legal action.

“We are now considering whether further enforcement action would be appropriate. We will continue to monitor the situation and will undertake further work required to ensure planning requirements are met and the appearance of the site is satisfactory.”

The brothers submitted a plan last year, to use the land for two mobile homes with a new access and entrance gates plus an amenity block, hard standing and parking. This was rejected by New Forest District Council.

The Connors said that a permanent site would allow them to put down roots and access health care and schooling for their children.

The plan sparked an unprecedented wave of objections from people claiming more than the two caravans proposed in the plan would be parked on the site if the scheme was approved.

District councillor Steve Rippon-Swaine from Ringwood said the proposal had resulted in the largest number of objections seen by the authority for several years.