A developer has been forced to tear down brand new homes after building on land without planning permission.

Developers Taylor Wimprey began building 124 homes on a site in Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire after buying the land for £11.5 million in 2006.

But local residents claimed that a 1.8 corner of the site was subject to a historic covenant dating back to the 1930’s. And after a landmark planning battle, the housing giant has been defeated and ordered to bulldoze 24 of the properties which were built on the protected historic land.

A three-day Land Tribunal hearing took place early this year after residents campaigned to the construction firm to knock down the houses. But the 30 inhabitants had been fighting to save the land since 2000 when it was earmarked as ‘developable’.

And the occupants recently watched in delight as the homes were reduced to a pile of rubble.

A public enquiry into the land had taken place in 2002 to ensure the land was free from protective covenants before building work commenced. It is reported the previous owner Henry Edward Ripley stipulated that nothing could be built on 1.8 acre before it was sold in 1936.

The development would have caused the resident’s properties to lose up to £100,000 in value and increased flooding risk and traffic congestion. The plot of disputed land is now thought to be only worth £20,000.

Guess there won’t be anyone hiring Robinsons UK International Movers to move in then…

Industry professionals have predicted that UK roads and airports will be jam packed over the next couple of days during the Christmas travel surge.

As thousands of Brits flock across the country and overseas to see family and friends for the holiday season, motorists and travellers are being warned of increased journey times.

In what is being dubbed as the busiest time of the year, motoring organisation AA says to expect up to 18 million cars taking to the roads over the festive period. Meanwhile, more than 205,000 people are anticipated to fly from London’s Heathrow Airport tomorrow.

The Association of British Travel Agents has estimated that some 4.25 million Britons will leave the country via airports, ports and the Channel Tunnel between 16^th December and 3^rd January.

A top tip is, if you can, to avoid any Christmas traffic hotspots such as the M1, M25 and M6 and although the British weather is milder this year in comparison to 2010, it is still likely there will be delays for many vacationers.

And if you are travelling by public transport, note that no trains run on Christmas Day and there is only a limited service on Boxing Day.

Looking to ship some packages to a relative abroad? It may be too late to get there in time for Christmas but it’s better to be late than never so use our expert baggage shipping services.

Or are you considering moving abroad permanently in the New Year? Use the expert Robinsons International Removals services.

When one moves house, it is usually custom to hire a removal van which can transport all of the furniture and possessions.

Often or not a removals company may have to do a couple of runs back and forth from the old house to the new home if all of the content doesn’t fit in the van.

However, Candy Spelling took her mansion move to the extreme and hired a whopping 30 removal vans.

The big move from her $85 million Los Angeles manor was documented for her new TV programme “Selling Spelling Manor.”

The mansion reportedly boasted 14 bedrooms, 27 bathrooms, five kitchens, a bowling alley, an arcade, a tennis court and a flower cutting room; so the amount of paintings, furniture and rare collections to shift would have been extensive. And cameras were there to capture all the stresses and strains of packing and moving home.

The celebrity has sold the 56,600 sq. ft. mansion to downsize to a 16,000 sq. ft. penthouse condo. The socialite now has around 40 boxes that are categorised and labelled with post-it notes and stored in a warehouse.

It is reported she has a stash of thousands of beanie babies and 5,000 bound copies of scripts her from husband’s TV shows. Candy’s late husband Aaron died in 2006 after producing hit shows like Dallas and Beverly Hills 90210.

The 66-year-old admitted that leaving the house she built with her late husband and their children was emotional and that every time she walks into the storage warehouse she starts to cry. The Spelling mansion has been bought by heiress Petra Ecclestone.

Need to hire some expert removal vans for your own house move? Or do you need somewhere to store all of the belongings in the meantime? Contact Robinsons UK International Movers.