Showmen and neighbours fear for future of site - Scunthorpe

Residents are concerned about council plans to fill the remaining plots on a Traveller site which is currently the home of a Traveller community.

Occupants of the Manifold Road Traveller site, Scunthorpe, and neighbouring residents have come to the Telegraph to express their fears over the future of the £500,000 development which was made a permanent mobile home site.

 

There are currently eight families living on the site, some of whom have lived there for more than 40 years.

Residents say they have tried to get answers from North Lincolnshire Council on the future of the remaining eight empty plots but to no avail.

One habitant, who did not wish to be named, fears that if the council decides to fill up the remaining spots it will cause a clash of cultures.

He said: "We cannot get any answers from the council. I understand that people need somewhere to live but this is a Showman's caravan park for travelling Showmen – that's our culture. I've been here 23 years and my wife has been here for 40 years.

"I am not saying other Travellers are all vagabonds but we all read the papers and watch the news and saw what it did to the community at Dale Farm in and around the area."

The plots were made for any kind of mobile homes and currently the majority of residents work in the Showman industry. But although the current Showmen say they could find Travellers to fill the remaining plots, they say there isn't much room for the storage of showman equipment.

The wife of the Showman, who also did not wish to be named, said: "We know a lot of Showman travellers who want to live on here and we could get it filled for them [the council]."

The showman added: "But if any Showmen want to come and live down here and turn up with rides, they cannot get on because there is no room to store rides."

North Lincolnshire Council announced the £534,569 spend for the Travellers' site in Manifold Road, Scunthorpe, in January 2009. After delays, improvement work to install water supply, drainage, electricity and sanitation at the site got underway.

The Travellers say they are happy with the work that has been carried out so far but fear for its future.
A study by Salford University found 46 permanent and five temporary pitches would be needed for Travellers in North Lincolnshire by 2016.

A council spokesman said: "The council runs the Manifold Road Caravan Site as a licensed site under the Mobile Homes Act 1983.

"Anyone, regardless of race, religion, disability or other protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, can apply to live on the site but must go through stringent checks before being offered a pitch."