A couple facing legal action after moving onto land on the edge of a Yorkshire Dales village, without planning permission, say they just want to be left alone to live in peace.
James and Naomi Miller have fenced off a corner of a field outside Hudswell, near Richmond, and laid gravel and concrete.
A mobile home, a caravan and two sheds have been installed on the plot.
The couple, who have Romani heritage but say their families have lived in Skipton for five generations, purchased the land earlier this year and moved onto the site with their two adult sons.
Mr Miller, 53, said he was aware local residents thought he was building a traveller site on the field, which they have called Miller’s Meadow.
But he said: “There’s nobody else coming to live here — I wouldn’t destroy my home by allowing that.
“It’s just going to be for me, my wife and my children.”
Mr Miller said the family was keen to integrate with the community and invited local residents to come and speak to them.
“We’re very community-focused. I go to the community pub in the village on a Sunday for my lunch — I’ve even bought shares in the pub like everyone else.”
Mr Miller said he was “devastated” when he received correspondence from North Yorkshire Council about unauthorised work on the field.
The businessman, who runs a property company, said he understood he was allowed to lay gravel without planning permission, while the mobile home, caravan and sheds were temporary structures and could be moved.
“It’s all on wheels,” he said, adding that he would contest any enforcement action.
Mr Miller said it was not a case of his family “moving onto the site over a Bank Holiday”, adding that work has been taking place since March.
He said all suppliers had been local and he had spent large sums on wildflower seeds, bulbs and cherry laurel plants to enhance the space, with a designated fire point also created.
“Everything’s been done as it should be,” he said, adding: “If I have to, I’ll get rid of everything and just live in a tent, but I’m staying — the only way I’m leaving is in a box.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands concerns about the site has been raised with Hudswell and District Parish Council.
Councillor John Dixon, chair of the parish council, said the concerns had been passed on to North Yorkshire Council.
North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director for community development, Nic Harne, said: “Our planning enforcement policy ensures that all breaches are investigated and we take such matters very seriously as they can affect the well-being, safety and health of communities in North Yorkshire.
“We do not comment on individual cases, however, if the issue cannot be resolved through our initial engagement, we would consider appropriate enforcement action.”
