Fearful residents in a Lanarkshire town have raised concerns over the construction of a caravan site on land owned by a member of the travelling community with a violent past.
People who live near to the land in Rosehall Road in the town have written to politicians and North Lanarkshire Council claiming the land is being developed by Steven McPhee to accommodate caravans, despite not obtaining planning permission.
McPhee, 41, and three other members of his family were jailed in March 2018 following a campaign of "sickening violence" - kidnapping, torture and forced labour against vulnerable workers.
Steven McPhee was jailed for three years after admitting assault. His older brother James was sentenced to nine years and their father Robert McPhee was sentenced to 10 years. Brother-in-law James Miller was also jailed for seven years for his part in a catalogue of crimes which took place over more than a decade. Miller’s sentence was later reduced on appeal to six years. The latter three will also be subject to supervision orders following their release from prison.
North Lanarkshire Council say they have visited the site and that the matter “remains under investigation”.
A chalet-style bungalow home was seen arriving there on the back of a truck on Thursday afternoon. And a number of caravans are already on the site.
The site that is causing residents concern is less than half a mile from the former Currieside Piggery that was occupied by the McPhee family prior to the court case in 2018.
A resident living nearby claims that the youngest of the convicted men recently “introduced himself” to people living in adjacent properties as the land owner of the Rosehall site.
Steven McPhee was also sentenced to five years and four months in 2009 for his part in a machete attack at a funeral in Fife.
The “petrified” Shotts resident who asked to remain anonymous told Lanarkshire Live that people are worried, given the family’s reputation for violence. They say work on the site started in April and a high perimeter fence has been erected.
“There are bases for caravans and a compound-like fence. These people can’t be allowed to do this,” they said. “If I buy a plot of land can I just build a house on it without permission?
“The construction, haulage noise starts at 7am everyday and goes onto 9pm every night which is outwith legal working hours.
“And the councillors seem reluctant to do anything about it.”
It’s also claimed there have been recent gas and water leaks, the first incidents of this type for more than 20 years.
The concerned resident continued: “I cannot stress enough how angry and fearful we are – people should not be scared in their own homes.
“There is information online which states that if you own land to put a caravan on you must have planning permission and a site license, obviously not the case here.”
Residents claim their concerns have been stonewalled by the local authority and by candidates who stood in the Scottish council elections.
Our sister paper the Sunday Mail caught up with McPhee at the site where he told them he was unaware of any local concerns and insisted he was a “peaceful person”, adding he intended to build two houses on the land, subject to planning permission.
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “The council has been made aware of work which has taken place at Rosehall Road, Shotts without planning permission, and officials have viewed the site and written to its owner. We have also contacted Scottish Water seeking information about whether mains water and sewer connections have been made.
“Initial responses have been provided to enquiries from a number of local elected representatives and members of the public, however the matter remains under investigation as a planning enforcement case and anyone who has made representations about it to the Planning Service will be advised of any significant developments in due course.”
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