Deadline of June 6 for New Age Travellers at Micheldever Station - Hampshire

From the Hampshire Chronicle

COUNTY chiefs have taken legal action to evict a group of New Age Travellers from an illegal campsite in Micheldever Station.

The eight-strong group, including a couple and six single men, have been told they have to leave the former chipping depot at the junction of Andover Road and the A30 by June 6.

But locals are divided on whether the Travellers who have lived on the county council-owned site for 12 months should be evicted – or allowed to stay.

Micheldever Parish Council called for court action on the grounds the Travellers broke barriers to gain entry and are illegally occupying the site. They say some villagers have complained.

But some residents of Micheldever Station have called for the Travellers to be allowed to stay – and their alternative lifestyles respected.

Clarissa Palmer, Lesley Robert and Sue Bell say the arrival of the group has not led to any rise in anti-social behaviour and they have tidied-up the site, even planting flowers.

The Travellers earn a living by making wooden toys and garden furniture out of recycled materials which they sell to locals.

They have even helped out at the village fete.

In a statement, the county council said: “The matter went before Winchester County Court in February and as a result the group has until June 6 to vacate the site.

“Should they fail to leave, the county council will go back to court and take action to remove them from the site.”

The council said although this meant the site would not be vacated immediately it would avoid the public expense of a two-day trial.

In 2002, the council closed a Travellers’ site at Dummer after violent disturbances.