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Unauthorised Encampments

An unauthorised encampment is when an individual or group of individuals move onto a piece of land that they do not own, without the permission of the landowner

Unauthorised encampments are a matter of civil trespass between the landowner and the individual(s) illegally camped on the land.

The council is only able to remove unauthorised encampments from council-owned land. If the encampment is not on council land the removal of the trespasser is the responsibility of the landowner.


The council must follow a specific procedure when dealing with unauthorised encampments:

  • The process starts with confirming whether the council owns the land and, if it doesn’t, who does.
  • Once the landownership is confirmed, welfare checks are carried out, to identify if there are any welfare needs amongst individuals.
  • If there are no welfare needs the council can serve a direction to leave.
  • If, after the direction to leave is served and the individuals continue to remain on the land past the date given, the council will apply to the magistrates court for a possession order.


It usually takes between 10 and 14 working days to complete the eviction process. This will depend on the circumstances of each individual case and the time taken to obtain a court hearing.

There are a number of factors that can cause delays to the eviction process. They include:

  • if welfare needs are identified
  • public holidays
  • obtaining a court date
  • weather (snow/water logging may hinder vehicle manoeuvre)

The court can refuse to grant the council an order to evict an unauthorised encampment if it believes there are unavoidable reasons, or it feels the council has failed to make adequate enquires about the general health and welfare of the individuals camped illegally.

After the unauthorised encampment has been moved on the council will make every effort to clean the site as soon as possible.


Reporting your concerns

The council can investigate a whole range of nuisances. Please call 01256 844844 or email customer.service@basingstoke.gov.uk  for more information or to report your concerns.

If you are witnessing criminal damage or other forms of anti-social behaviour, please report this to the police on 101 or 0845045 45 45.

To find out what unauthorised encampments the council is aware of please click here.


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