Travellers insist more pitches are needed to cope with demand - Yorkshire

From the Press

TWO Travellers have spoken of the real need for more pitches to be created in York to cater for Gypsies and Travellers’ growing families.

And they appealed for residents opposing council plans for new Traveller sites not to stereotype the whole Travelling community.

“Just because some people may cause trouble doesn’t mean that all the community is the same,” said Kally Smith, 38, who lives on the James Street site.

“It’s the same as any other community – there is good and bad everywhere.

“Trouble in a house on one street doesn’t mean that all the residents on that street are troublemakers.”

Denise Lambert, 38, who lives in a house in Tang Hall but would like to return to living in a caravan if there was sufficieht provision of pitches on decent sites, agreed, saying: “Why should everyone be tarred with the same brush?”

The Travellers spoke out after a series of packed public meetings were held in Dunnington against City of York Council proposals in its draft Local Plan to allocate land for a new Travellers’ site.

A petition has also been launched against plans to allocate land at Knapton for a Showpeople’s yard.

Denise said people were opposing sites because they did not want Travellers to be part of their community.

“But Travellers have been here and in the community for hundreds of years, so why do we have to be segregated from society?” she asked. “They are building new homes all the time for families but Travellers are no different, they need homes for their growing families. And when building sites, they should think about things such as schools, doctors and shops, and not just put them on industrial estates or away from everybody.”

They also called for improvements to the city’s existing Traveller sites, which they said suffered from problems such as poor drainage and damp. And they said recycling boxes should also be provided, as was the case with residents in houses.

Tom Brittain, the council's head of housing, said: “We are required to ensure that any sites provided for Gypsy and Traveller sites are within easy access of services, and at Osbaldwick, registration and attendance levels at local GPs are higher than average.

“We have invested in our three sites during 2012/13 and works identified and agreed with site residents include new thermally-efficient upvc windows and doors, wall heaters, showers and extractor fans, roof cavity insulation, drainage works on individual pitches and across whole sites as well as installing speed bumps.

“The Travellers’ Choice programme will commence late summer and will incorporate a programme of kitchen and bathroom replacement.”