FOOTBALL star Freddy Eastwood should have been allowed to illegally build on green belt land, regardless of his earnings, a Government planning inspector has said.

Victor Ammoun, 65, said Southend United legend Eastwood, who now plays for Championship side Coventry, was still a gipsy because he travelled outside the football season.

Mr Ammoun made no reference to Eastwood’s earnings or his obvious ability to buy a legitimate home, during the latest verdict on a caravan pitch he built without permission.

He chaired a second public inquiry into five illegally-built pitches off Cranfield Park Avenue, Wickford, including one bought by Eastwood for £2,000.

He has since sold the plot to traveller Frank Tidd for £50,000, and moved into a house, but his circumstances had to be taken into account because they had prompted the review.

This followed revelations, exclusively reported by the Echo, that information about his then occupation as a £100,000-a-year Southend United striker were withheld from the first inquiry.

Mr Eastwood told the original hearing he could scrape together £8,000 towards highway improvements only by “selling horses”.

Mr Ammoun disagreed original evidence was tainted by the omissions.

He said: “I saw no conflict between Mr Eastwood being a gipsy, who needed a caravan pitch, and his employment.

“On the basis of knowing Mr Eastwood did travel in the football off-season, it cannot be assumed they believed his employment as a footballer would be harmful to the appeal.”

Government rules say a traveller must travel for work purposes in order to sidestep planning rules.

Yet he dismissed the relevance of his job, saying all the families could not face living in traditional homes or afford land with permission.

The second hearing was ordered by the High Court after Basildon Council appealed a 2006 ruling giving Eastwood and the families temporary permission.

The council said the first hearing involved “untrue and misleading” information relevant to his traveller status and ability to buy alternative homes.

Eastwood’s plot is currently occupied by Mr Tidd, while the remaining families have all been given five years’ permission.

David Walsh, who is battling illegal traveller developments at nearby Hovefields, said: “This decision seems like any traveller can buy cheap green belt and get permission retrospectively, regardless of how much money they have.”

Council leader Tony Ball could not rule out further appeals.

He said: “I can’t understand where the inspector is coming from. The council will look at its options.”