'This won't be a Travellers' camp' - Cornwall

From the West Briton

A SINGLE mother seeking planning permission for three caravan pitches has promised the site will not be overrun with Travellers.

Helen Birkett, who bought two acres of land at Mount Hawke more than 12 months ago, was responding to fears raised by St Agnes Parish Council and local residents.

Councillors objected to the proposal for three permanent Traveller pitches, two composting toilets and utility sheds on Skate Park Lane, and urged Cornwall Council planners to reject a separate application for the continued use of a caravan site at an adjacent field for two workers at Insite Managed Services.

Councillor Ian Newby, for Mount Hawke – one of 50 people who attended a debate over the plans – said it was a "very emotive subject" that divided residents. "The issue is not with the people living on the sites but it is the change of use of a green field for travellers.

"People are fearful that there's nothing to stop more Travellers moving onto the site. There wasn't enough information in the planning application to make it clear what their exact intentions are.

"It was also felt that the council shouldn't allow Traveller sites in places where development isn't permissible. It's bound to stir local feeling."

One objector wrote on Cornwall Council's planning website: "None of the neighbourhood have been made aware of this stealth encampment and if those on the land flout the law and regulations then what message does this signal if the applications are granted?"

Miss Birkett, a self-employed cleaner, lives with son Rufus, 8, and two male friends who work and live in separate caravans.

She told the West Briton: "I bought the site for continuity of schooling for my boy. Most people didn't even know we were here until we submitted the planning application.

"People don't realise there are sites like this across Cornwall, mostly on farmland in isolated spots. They work because people respect the land and don't cause trouble.

"I've travelled all over and I am used to being part of a small community. I was robbed a few months back; I wanted friends I could trust to join me for security and company, but I will not be allowing any more people to move on to the site."

She said she planned to plant more than 100 trees, including an orchard and for fuel, and has the support Mount Hawke Academy, Rufus's school, and local businesses, including Diana's Flowers.

In a letter to planners Penny O'Keefe from the school said Miss Birkett "worked extremely hard", volunteered in the school garden and was an "asset to the parish".

The planning officer's report says the plan would meet the underprovision of Traveller sites in the former Kerrier district, was "very low-key, low-impact, [with a] low carbon footprint, sustainable and ecofriendly [and] will not impact on the wider community in terms of vehicular, environmental or antisocial issues".