From the Cambridge News
South Cambridgeshire MP Andrew Lansley has stepped into the row over plans to reopen a controversial Travellers’ site.
The district council has revealed it wants to buy and refurbish the pitches at Mettle Hill, near Meldreth.
Angry villagers have condemned the move, saying they fear a return of the crime and vandalism which blighted the encampment before it was shut down in 1996.
Occupants of a travelling Showpeople’s site which stands opposite also said they would have to move out if the plans went ahead.
Last week more than 250 people attended a public meeting in Meldreth. One of them, Paul Norman, of Whitecroft Road, Meldreth, said: “No-one here wants the travellers to come.
“Meldreth has never been so quiet and peaceful as it is now. We all get on well with the showmen but no-one wants to see the kind of terror that the Travellers caused again.
“It was a complete nightmare – they would walk into the village shop and steal whatever they liked. They threw bricks and even the police were frightened of them.”
Mr Lansley said: “I do hope that the district council will not go ahead with reopening Mettle Hill as a site for Travellers.
“When the showpeople moved in, the county council agreed that Mettle Hill would not be reopened for this purpose.
“It cannot make sense for travellers to be moved in opposite the showpeople. From the outset this is something the travelling showpeople have always made clear, it would be wholly wrong now to renege on their expectations.
“Mettle Hill site was closed for compelling reasons, including repeated damage to the site itself as well as harmful impacts on neighbouring villages.
“I certainly do not want to see this happen again.”
The district council’s cabinet is set to back the project on Thursday.
Meldreth Parish Council has announced Mettle Hill will be the subject of a public meeting at 8pm tomorrow in the village hall.
see also: the BBC - Andrew Lansley calls for Travellers' site not to reopen
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.