Marcus Rashford and Wayne Rooney’s neighbours have won a long-running battle to remove Travellers who set up camp between their Cheshire mega-mansions.
The 18-month standoff began after 13 caravans accommodating around 50 people moved onto the site in Mobberley – just three fields away from Wayne and Coleen Rooney’s 40-acre home dubbed ‘Morrison’s Mansion’ – in August 2020.
The local council initially blocked plans for a Traveller site after it received 1,000 letters of objection from residents, including the lack of Covid-19 provisions and concerns that the site was a ‘hazard to the community’ and would bring a ‘fear of increased crime’.
But Michael Maloney, a self-described member of the Irish travelling community, moved onto the land anyway and then applied for retrospective planning permission.
Just months later, Maloney was handed a suspended prison sentence for ignoring an injunction barring him from developing the land.
A three-day inquiry was then held at the beginning of March after the family appealed the council’s decision, and planning inspectors have now given them 12 months to leave the site.
The land sits between former Manchester United player Wes Brown and his Real Housewives Of Cheshire star wife Leanne’s home, and the Rooneys’ property – which features a luxury underground spa and gym, a cinema room, 40 acres of land with stables and a full-size football pitch.
Marcus Rashford is yet to move into his new £2.5million eco-friendly home after he began construction on his wildlife paradise in 2020.
Plans for the Manchester United star’s five-bedroom property include a nine-hole golf course, an open-plan kitchen, study and dining room, while it will also feature a basement complete with an indoor swimming pool, wine cellar and a gym.
Moving on: Travellers who set up camp next to Wayne and Coleen Rooney’s £20 million mansion in Cheshire have been ordered to leave by the council (pictured: the Rooney’s home)
Relief: The news will no doubt come as a relief to the Rooneys, who moved into their £20 million Cheshire home – dubbed the ‘Morrison’s mansion’ due to its similarity to the supermarket chain buildings – earlier this year
Taking his time: England ace Marcus, 24, is yet to move into his new £2.5 million eco-friendly home after he began construction on his wildlife paradise in 2020
Plans: The couple began building their six-bedroom mega mansion in 2017 but it was plagued by delays, particularly at the start of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown when building ground to a halt entirely
Mobberley Ward councillor Charlotte Leach told MailOnline that she was ‘delighted’ by the result, adding: ‘This decision gives the local community some certainty that Mr Maloney has very much reached the end of the road with his unauthorised development.
‘His behaviour has caused significant distress and upset to residents since he moved on site in August 2020 and as a result of his activity, he was found guilty of contempt of court for continuing to build illegally despite an injunction that was in place to prevent any further destruction of the land.
‘This decision from the Planning Inspectorate sends a clear message that as a community we will not accept someone riding roughshod over our planning laws and treating us with contempt.’
According to a planning report, ‘the site was occupied by increasing numbers of people and caravans, with the site eventually comprising 13 touring caravans, accommodating between 40 and 50 people’, leading to the council’s court injunction to stop any building work.
Family: The married couple will share their luxury pad with their sons, Kai, 12, Klay, eight, Kit, five, and Cass, three
In the making: The Manchester United star’s five-bedroom property will include a nine-hole golf course and, in planning proposals, ecology experts have produced ‘biodiversity enhancement measures’ to look after the natural habitat
The news will no doubt come as a relief to the Rooneys, who moved into their £20million Cheshire home – dubbed the ‘Morrison’s mansion’ due to its similarity to the supermarket chain buildings – earlier this year.
The married couple share their luxury pad, which they began building in 2017, with their sons, Kai, 12, Klay, eight, Kit, five, and Cass, three.
The surrounding villages in Cheshire are popular with players from Manchester City and Manchester United, including Raheem Sterling, John Stones and Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, as well as Liverpool and Everton players Jordan Pickford and Jordan Henderson.
The area, known as Cheshire’s Golden Triangle, was also formally home to David and Victoria Beckham, Rio Ferdinand and Christiano Ronaldo.
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