Forced eviction of Gypsy family 'would probably fail' - Waverly

WAVERLEY Borough Council has finally admitted that it has no plans to forcibly evict members of a Gypsy family from their home in Ellens Green. The council has come under fire from some neighbours of Bill Newland and his extended family over its refusal to take direct action, despite a persistent refusal to comply with enforcement notices in relation to the land at Pollingfold Place. Mr Newland has the right to remain on the land, which he owns but he has been ordered to remove a number of mobile homes and caravans, along with other structures, from the site. Pressure from Ewhurst Parish Council for the authority to take direct action has resulted in debates being held behind closed doors at Waverley planning committee meetings, but with no reason given, until now, for its decision not to take direct action. Ellens Green councillor Cllr Tim Bloomfield told last week’s parish council meeting that local people were being left in the dark because Waverley was not revealing the legal advice it had been given. This week, Waverley’s head of planning, Matthew Evans, told the Surrey Advertiser: “The council’s position is that disclosing the detailed legal advice we have received runs a real risk of adversely affecting the course of justice and may affect its ability to remove the unauthorised caravans from the site. “However, the legal advice is clear that, at the present time, any direct action or an injunctive remedy stands a very high probability of being unsuccessful, primarily because of the lack of alternative sites in the borough to accommodate the family that currently lives at Pollingfold Place.