Don't give us more gypsies, says Edenbridge Town Council - Kent

From the Edenbridge Courier

EDENBRIDGE cannot accommodate any more Gypsies, town councillors have said.

The town already has 22 caravans and one councillor warned that introducing any more would lead to an "unbalance" in the community.

Sevenoaks District Council has asked parish and town councils to suggest possible sites for Gypsies and Travellers after a report found it needed an extra 78 pitches by 2026.

But Edenbridge Town Council has sent back a no-nonsense statement saying it does not have space for any more and arguing that other towns and villages should take their fair share.

At a meeting on Monday, Councillor John Scholey said: "The site in Romany Way, that has recently been extended with planning permission, meets the needs of the community.

"Any more than that would see an unbalance in the community."

Edenbridge has two official sites for Travellers and Gypsies. The larger of these is at Romany Way, off Hever Road, where the district council provides 16 pitches.

It is currently full, with 31 people living there, and vacancies are quickly snapped up. The other one is privately run at nearby Seven Acre Farm, where all six pitches are taken. This site only has temporary planning permission, which expires next year.

A pitch is defined as accommodating one caravan.

The district council's report last year found there were about 500 Gypsies and Travellers living in the Sevenoaks district.

Due to a rising population, it concluded the district would need 44 more pitches in the next four years and a total of 78 by 2026.

It warned if the situation was not addressed, the costs of removing unauthorised sites could increase.

This problem was witnessed in Edenbridge last month when a group of Gypsies illegally camped on land beside the Eden Centre.

They left after two weeks, just before court action was taken.

In its official reply to the district, the town council argued: "In the past, this council has proposed that, to ensure a balanced mix of accommodation, additional accommodation should be spread across the district and county.

"The official site at Hever Road, Edenbridge already contributes to the supply."

Gypsy Council spokesman Joseph Jones said: "The town council can't really say that any increase in a particular minority is going to cause an unbalance in the community.

"Gypsies and Travellers are part of UK society. If the law were to be changed and UK minority citizens' movements restricted, that would include British Asian people, British Jewish people etc."