A group of travellers set up camp in the grounds of a derelict landmark building in Wirral.
The camper vans and caravans are believed to have been at the site of Andrew Gibson House in Wallasey for around a week.
It is understood the owners of the site have begun action to have an enforcement notice issued to have the group removed.
The Edwardian mansion, dating from 1906, is on private land so Wirral Council has no powers to take any action.
The entrance to the site is closed off by temporary fencing but this would not have presented an obstacle to anyone determined to gain entry.
A Wirral Council spokesperson said: "As it is private property, we have no jurisdiction there.
"The owners are in the process of taking the necessary action to move the visitors on.
"They are still waiting to get the enforcement notice issued for the travellers to vacate their land."
The site was formerly owned by Nautilus Welfare Fund - a charity which supports retired seafarers and their dependants - and runs the nearby Mariners' Park care home.
It is now owned by Wirral-based developers Prospect Capital.
Andrew Gibson House, which looks out over the Egremont promenade, is well known to anyone familiar with the River Mersey coastline.
Originally constructed over a century ago for the widows of sailors and men lost at sea, it had lain derelict for a decade and was in "serious jeopardy."
The heritage house narrowly escaped demolition in 2015 and is still in a poor condition.
But there were hopes Andrew Gibson House could be revived and brought back into use when planning permission was granted to transform the building into over 100 plush apartments with views across to Liverpool.
The house itself would become 34 apartments, with three further blocks built within the grounds to bring the total number of homes to 136.
Keep up to date with local news in your area by adding your postcode below
The plans were approved by Wirral Council back in February 2019, but since then little activity appears to have taken place at the site.
No-one from Prospect Capital was available for comment.
When the development was approved last year, the Wallasey-born managing director of Prospect, Craig Blackwell, said: "Nobody wanted to see this building demolished, and as a local, I was keen to work with Nautilus and Wirral to see whether a deliverable scheme, acceptable to all parties could be brought forward.
"There has been fantastic goodwill and co-operation, and I think this is a win/win solution. It's taken time to refine the details of this scheme, and I'm delighted that it has won the backing of councillors and the local community."
The owners of the building later said the travellers had left the site before the evening.
