From Dunstable Today
Plans to move Gypsies into a dedicated Travellers’ site in Houghton Regis have been met with anger from neighbours in the area.
Central Beds Council said that 130 ‘pitches’ for Gypsies and Travellers must be created, and an area in Bidwell has been sounded out as a potential location.
However, neighbours of the potential Bidwell site are up in arms about the idea.
One resident in nearby Roslyn Way, who did not want to be named, told the Gazette: “This is entirely the wrong place for it. There’s already enough trouble round here, and this is only going to add to it.”
Another said: “Why do they call themselves ‘Travellers’ if they need a permanent place to stay? Put them next to the M1 so they can go away from here. They’re going to bring the value of my house down.”
Another said: “I’m sure a lot of them are nice – but I’m not happy about this.
“Put it this way, I used to be in the police.”
Gazette readers have also taken to Facebook to share their views. One user said: “It would certainly do the housing market no favours and would destroy the value of houses.
“I used to have a family of them living in my road. They destroyed everyone’s property – so no thanks.”
Another user said: “They certainly don’t do themselves any favours, being abusive, swearing and spraying paint at people, I wouldn’t want them living near me.”
A shortlist will be drawn up at the next Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny meeting on February 28.
Councillor Nigel Young said: ““What is absolutely vital to remember is that we have a statutory duty to provide appropriate accommodation to this community, just as we do for other communities.”
The Gazette made efforts to contact the Gypsy Council and the National Gypsy and Traveller Foundation but had received no response at the time of going to press.
Visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk for more information.
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Travellers move on after night at supermarket - Cornwall
From the Cornish Guardian
POLICE were called after seven caravans were spotted parked in a St Austell supermarket's car park last Saturday evening.
About four caravans pitched up next to the Co-op car park on Moorland Road at about 8pm.
Neighbourhood sergeant Paul Jones said: "Initially they told us they were going to be there until Tuesday but they were off pretty sharpish the following morning."
A witness said they were gone by 3pm.
The sergeant added: "We had no reports of disruption and there was no damage or rubbish. They appeared and they went on their way.
"This sort of situation is a rarity but we always take action as soon as we are made aware."
POLICE were called after seven caravans were spotted parked in a St Austell supermarket's car park last Saturday evening.
About four caravans pitched up next to the Co-op car park on Moorland Road at about 8pm.
Neighbourhood sergeant Paul Jones said: "Initially they told us they were going to be there until Tuesday but they were off pretty sharpish the following morning."
A witness said they were gone by 3pm.
The sergeant added: "We had no reports of disruption and there was no damage or rubbish. They appeared and they went on their way.
"This sort of situation is a rarity but we always take action as soon as we are made aware."
MSPs to hold meeting at Traveller site for first time - Scotland
From the Scotsman
MSPs are to stage a formal meeting at a Traveller site for the first time as they investigate hostility faced by travelling communities.
Holyrood’s equal opportunities committee believes that where Gypsy-Travellers live is often at the root of the problems that they face.
As part of its inquiry, the committee will hold its discussions at the Clinterty site near Aberdeen on Monday.
MSPs have already visited such sites in other parts of Scotland but this will be the first time they have held a formal meeting at one.
Committee convener Mary Fee said: “It is fitting that we hold our committee meeting at Clinterty Gypsy-Traveller’s site, as it gives us the opportunity to see where the community lives, in an area of Scotland that has already generated a lot of public interest on the subject.”
MSPs on the committee have heard from site managers, Gypsy-Traveller liaison offices, community councils, the police, the health service and local councils during their inquiry.
Some community council leaders have told MSPs that in some problem areas local residents are angry at the mess apparently left behind by Gypsy-Travellers.
In other places where established groups or well-managed sites exist, few problems, if any, were described.
Earlier this month Sheila Chambers, vice-chairman of Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Council, highlighted local concerns about the condition unauthorised sites are left in.
“In particular, it is the mess they leave behind that is worrying,” she said.
However, Gavin Buist, vice-president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, added: “I don’t find the mainstream media portrayal of Gypsy-Travellers particularly helpful in fostering relationships between the broader community and that particular group in the community.”
see also: STV News - Politicians to hold special meeting at a Gypsy-Traveller site
MSPs are to stage a formal meeting at a Traveller site for the first time as they investigate hostility faced by travelling communities.
Holyrood’s equal opportunities committee believes that where Gypsy-Travellers live is often at the root of the problems that they face.
As part of its inquiry, the committee will hold its discussions at the Clinterty site near Aberdeen on Monday.
MSPs have already visited such sites in other parts of Scotland but this will be the first time they have held a formal meeting at one.
Committee convener Mary Fee said: “It is fitting that we hold our committee meeting at Clinterty Gypsy-Traveller’s site, as it gives us the opportunity to see where the community lives, in an area of Scotland that has already generated a lot of public interest on the subject.”
MSPs on the committee have heard from site managers, Gypsy-Traveller liaison offices, community councils, the police, the health service and local councils during their inquiry.
Some community council leaders have told MSPs that in some problem areas local residents are angry at the mess apparently left behind by Gypsy-Travellers.
In other places where established groups or well-managed sites exist, few problems, if any, were described.
Earlier this month Sheila Chambers, vice-chairman of Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Council, highlighted local concerns about the condition unauthorised sites are left in.
“In particular, it is the mess they leave behind that is worrying,” she said.
However, Gavin Buist, vice-president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, added: “I don’t find the mainstream media portrayal of Gypsy-Travellers particularly helpful in fostering relationships between the broader community and that particular group in the community.”
see also: STV News - Politicians to hold special meeting at a Gypsy-Traveller site
St Lawrence: 'I'll delay my threat to sell land to Travellers' - Essex
From the Maldon Standard
A landowner is going to give the council one last chance to approve his plans for a barn before carrying out his threat of selling his field to Travellers.
Irate Bryn Chittenden is at war with both Maldon District Council and those living in St Lawrence, where his 20-acre parcel of land sits.
He claims residents have accused him of being a traveller and the council was unreasonable in not approving his plans for a barn in November, which would have offered his horses some shelter and provided space to store their food.
Last week tensions reached boiling point when he posted a message on the St Lawrence Bay Facebook page threatening to advertise the land at Scarletts for sale in the Traveller Times.
Mr Chittenden is now going to re-submit his barn plans to the council.
A landowner is going to give the council one last chance to approve his plans for a barn before carrying out his threat of selling his field to Travellers.
Irate Bryn Chittenden is at war with both Maldon District Council and those living in St Lawrence, where his 20-acre parcel of land sits.
He claims residents have accused him of being a traveller and the council was unreasonable in not approving his plans for a barn in November, which would have offered his horses some shelter and provided space to store their food.
Last week tensions reached boiling point when he posted a message on the St Lawrence Bay Facebook page threatening to advertise the land at Scarletts for sale in the Traveller Times.
Mr Chittenden is now going to re-submit his barn plans to the council.
Sacked pair deny burying Travellers on the cheap - Northumberland
From the Berwick Advertiser
A PAIR of sacked gravediggers have strenuously denied taking money from Gypsies and Travellers to bury their relatives without proper records being kept.
The claim was made by an unnamed source in a Sunday Express article but Northumberland County Council has revealed it has no evidence to corroborate the story.
Chris Gregory, who was dismissed along with colleague Malcolm Purvis by Northumberland County Council last year for gross misconduct following an investigation into administrative errors at Berwick and Tweedmouth cemeteries, is furious that the issue has been dredged up again.
“We don’t know anything about Gypsies being buried there,” he insisted. “I don’t know where the story came from but it’s got nothing to do with me. This whole thing has left my wife absolutely distraught.”
The pair have continued to protest their innocence while the council investigates the possibility of up to 30 bodies being buried in the wrong graves and other matters such as memorials on the wrong graves and deeds issued incorrectly. While most of the errors can be corrected by clarifying details in the burial records, partial excavation may be required in some cases.
A council spokesman said: “We’ve made good progress in contacting local people and are now carrying out a full audit of all plots across Berwick.
“This may be a lengthy process and we would ask people to bear with us as we complete the work, which we are determined will be comprehensive.”
A PAIR of sacked gravediggers have strenuously denied taking money from Gypsies and Travellers to bury their relatives without proper records being kept.
The claim was made by an unnamed source in a Sunday Express article but Northumberland County Council has revealed it has no evidence to corroborate the story.
Chris Gregory, who was dismissed along with colleague Malcolm Purvis by Northumberland County Council last year for gross misconduct following an investigation into administrative errors at Berwick and Tweedmouth cemeteries, is furious that the issue has been dredged up again.
“We don’t know anything about Gypsies being buried there,” he insisted. “I don’t know where the story came from but it’s got nothing to do with me. This whole thing has left my wife absolutely distraught.”
The pair have continued to protest their innocence while the council investigates the possibility of up to 30 bodies being buried in the wrong graves and other matters such as memorials on the wrong graves and deeds issued incorrectly. While most of the errors can be corrected by clarifying details in the burial records, partial excavation may be required in some cases.
A council spokesman said: “We’ve made good progress in contacting local people and are now carrying out a full audit of all plots across Berwick.
“This may be a lengthy process and we would ask people to bear with us as we complete the work, which we are determined will be comprehensive.”
Travellers camp at Park and Ride site - Wiltshire
From the Swindon Advertiser
AUTHORITIES are working to move on a group of Travellers who set up camp at the Wroughton Park and Ride site on Tuesday evening.
At least 14 vehicles entered the site in Pipers Way at about 7pm and parked on an area which is rented out to Nationwide Building Society as an overflow car park.
Eyewitnesses said it caused traffic chaos yesterday morning because staff were not able to park.
Wiltshire Police said the travellers planned to move on in a few days. The site is served by the number 11 bus but Thamesdown Transport said it was not affected.
A Croft Road resident, who did not want to be identified, said: “There’s got to be about 20 caravans and vans, if not more.
“Nationwide have been using that as a car park so people couldn’t even get in there this morning.
“People were trying to get into the main Nationwide car park instead of the overflow.”
A Nationwide spokesman said: “We are aware that a number of Travellers have parked their vehicles in the Park and Ride on Pipers Ways in spaces that are reserved for our employees. “The situation is being dealt with by Swindon Borough Council and the relevant authorities.”
A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: “Wiltshire Police received a call from a member of the public on Tuesday evening who reported that several vehicles were entering the Wroughton Park and Ride, Pipers Way.
“Officers visited the site and liaised with the group who have stated they intend to move on in a few days. “The situation is being monitored by Wiltshire Police and Swindon Borough Council.”
A Swindon Council spokesman said: “A large group of travellers arrived on Tuesday night and drove on to the Wroughton Park and Ride site, which is owned by the council, before it was due to be locked for the night.
“It is still operational but there is a section of it which is now occupied by the Travellers. “We are liaising with our partners, including the police, and council officers will be speaking to the Travellers to find out what their intentions are. “Our course of action depends on the result of our inquiries. This is the first time the Park and Ride site has been used as a parking area by Travellers.”
Coun Wayne Crabbe (Con, Wroughton and Wichelstowe) said: “I know there were a small number of Travellers who moved on to a site within Wichelstowe about six months ago but there were only there for a matter of days and then moved on.
“I don’t know if it’s the same group of travellers but travellers by their very nature tend to come and go.”
AUTHORITIES are working to move on a group of Travellers who set up camp at the Wroughton Park and Ride site on Tuesday evening.
At least 14 vehicles entered the site in Pipers Way at about 7pm and parked on an area which is rented out to Nationwide Building Society as an overflow car park.
Eyewitnesses said it caused traffic chaos yesterday morning because staff were not able to park.
Wiltshire Police said the travellers planned to move on in a few days. The site is served by the number 11 bus but Thamesdown Transport said it was not affected.
A Croft Road resident, who did not want to be identified, said: “There’s got to be about 20 caravans and vans, if not more.
“Nationwide have been using that as a car park so people couldn’t even get in there this morning.
“People were trying to get into the main Nationwide car park instead of the overflow.”
A Nationwide spokesman said: “We are aware that a number of Travellers have parked their vehicles in the Park and Ride on Pipers Ways in spaces that are reserved for our employees. “The situation is being dealt with by Swindon Borough Council and the relevant authorities.”
A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: “Wiltshire Police received a call from a member of the public on Tuesday evening who reported that several vehicles were entering the Wroughton Park and Ride, Pipers Way.
“Officers visited the site and liaised with the group who have stated they intend to move on in a few days. “The situation is being monitored by Wiltshire Police and Swindon Borough Council.”
A Swindon Council spokesman said: “A large group of travellers arrived on Tuesday night and drove on to the Wroughton Park and Ride site, which is owned by the council, before it was due to be locked for the night.
“It is still operational but there is a section of it which is now occupied by the Travellers. “We are liaising with our partners, including the police, and council officers will be speaking to the Travellers to find out what their intentions are. “Our course of action depends on the result of our inquiries. This is the first time the Park and Ride site has been used as a parking area by Travellers.”
Coun Wayne Crabbe (Con, Wroughton and Wichelstowe) said: “I know there were a small number of Travellers who moved on to a site within Wichelstowe about six months ago but there were only there for a matter of days and then moved on.
“I don’t know if it’s the same group of travellers but travellers by their very nature tend to come and go.”
Anger over plans for new Travellers site in Nuneaton - Warwickshire
From the Coventry Telegraph
THE revelation of plans for a new Travellers’ site in Nuneaton has caused anger among residents.
Warwickshire County Council is considering creating an overflow area for transient families, 100 yards from a permanent encampment in Griff Hollows, which was recently upgraded and modernised at a cost of £2million.
The proposal is to offer space on a disused stretch of road, where 15 caravans, plus towing vehicles, will be able to stay for a maximum of 28 days at a time.
But people living nearby are up in arms and are now in the process of submitting official objections.
The permanent Griff travellers' camp, which was recently given a £2 million refurbishment
Geoff Manns, who lives near the site in Coventry Road, said: “There are serious issues, not only about the plan itself but also about the total lack of consultation.
"he first I heard about it was when someone pushed a notice through my letter box.
"Apparently, this notice had been pinned to a lamp-post adjacent to the site and although this is the legal requirement, surely the county council also has an obligation to keep people informed in a more direct manner?
“If it wasn’t for one of my neighbours finding this notice, we would never have known and hence permission could have been granted without objection; a back-door way of the county council getting their way.
"No doubt they are quite within their rights to announce such plans but it seems underhanded and unprofessional.”
The area outlined to accommodate additional Travellers is part of the old main road between Nuneaton and Bedworth which has not been accessible since the by-pass island was constructed many years ago.
"It has remained blocked off at both ends but under the council proposal would be opened up, resurfaced and refurbished, with toilet facilities and a stand-pipe provision.
Mr Manns, who has two children and runs his own business, said: “There needs to be a proper look at whether there is a case for this site.
"This is not just about Nimbyism, because this land is also in the green belt and is designated as an area of scientific interest, due, I think, to the adjacent quarry in Gipsy Lane. Other issues created by such a development include pressure on local roads, schools, medical facilities and road safety.
“The application should have been heard by the county’s planning committee on February 12, which would have left little time for objections to be submitted. But I understand it has now been put back for a month.”
Mr Manns has already expressed his concerns to local county councillor June Tandy and is also seeking support from neighbours, borough councillors and Nuneaton MP Marcus Jones.
*Gypsies living on a camp in Meriden have launched a fresh planning application for a smaller camp on green belt land."
THE revelation of plans for a new Travellers’ site in Nuneaton has caused anger among residents.
Warwickshire County Council is considering creating an overflow area for transient families, 100 yards from a permanent encampment in Griff Hollows, which was recently upgraded and modernised at a cost of £2million.
The proposal is to offer space on a disused stretch of road, where 15 caravans, plus towing vehicles, will be able to stay for a maximum of 28 days at a time.
But people living nearby are up in arms and are now in the process of submitting official objections.
The permanent Griff travellers' camp, which was recently given a £2 million refurbishment
Geoff Manns, who lives near the site in Coventry Road, said: “There are serious issues, not only about the plan itself but also about the total lack of consultation.
"he first I heard about it was when someone pushed a notice through my letter box.
"Apparently, this notice had been pinned to a lamp-post adjacent to the site and although this is the legal requirement, surely the county council also has an obligation to keep people informed in a more direct manner?
“If it wasn’t for one of my neighbours finding this notice, we would never have known and hence permission could have been granted without objection; a back-door way of the county council getting their way.
"No doubt they are quite within their rights to announce such plans but it seems underhanded and unprofessional.”
The area outlined to accommodate additional Travellers is part of the old main road between Nuneaton and Bedworth which has not been accessible since the by-pass island was constructed many years ago.
"It has remained blocked off at both ends but under the council proposal would be opened up, resurfaced and refurbished, with toilet facilities and a stand-pipe provision.
Mr Manns, who has two children and runs his own business, said: “There needs to be a proper look at whether there is a case for this site.
"This is not just about Nimbyism, because this land is also in the green belt and is designated as an area of scientific interest, due, I think, to the adjacent quarry in Gipsy Lane. Other issues created by such a development include pressure on local roads, schools, medical facilities and road safety.
“The application should have been heard by the county’s planning committee on February 12, which would have left little time for objections to be submitted. But I understand it has now been put back for a month.”
Mr Manns has already expressed his concerns to local county councillor June Tandy and is also seeking support from neighbours, borough councillors and Nuneaton MP Marcus Jones.
*Gypsies living on a camp in Meriden have launched a fresh planning application for a smaller camp on green belt land."
Meriden Gypsies make fresh site application for yard - West Midlands
From the BBC
A group of Gypsies have submitted fresh plans to turn a West Midlands builders yard into a temporary site.
The group have to leave land in Meriden at the end of March after losing a High Court appeal last April.
They want to move to a field near to Eaves Green Lane but plans to put eight caravans there were rejected by Solihull Borough Council in November.
Two families have now re-submitted the application to the authority which they said had been scaled down.
The Gypsies have until the end of March to leave the greenbelt land they have been occupying since April 2010, after reaching an agreement with Solihull Borough Council.
A statement within the application said the two families that had made the application were "vulnerable" and would be "homeless" from the end of March.
The statement said: "The families have been actively searching for alternative arrangements.
"They have contacted other authorities in the West Midlands area and asked around to see if anyone knows of any spare pitches. They have drawn a blank."
A campaign group called Residents Against Inappropriate Development (RAID), which has a protest camp opposite the site, said it would be objecting to the plans.
The application will be considered by the council in the next few months.
see also: - the Coventry Telegraph - Meriden Gypsies apply to set up smaller alternative camp in green belt
A group of Gypsies have submitted fresh plans to turn a West Midlands builders yard into a temporary site.
The group have to leave land in Meriden at the end of March after losing a High Court appeal last April.
They want to move to a field near to Eaves Green Lane but plans to put eight caravans there were rejected by Solihull Borough Council in November.
Two families have now re-submitted the application to the authority which they said had been scaled down.
The Gypsies have until the end of March to leave the greenbelt land they have been occupying since April 2010, after reaching an agreement with Solihull Borough Council.
A statement within the application said the two families that had made the application were "vulnerable" and would be "homeless" from the end of March.
The statement said: "The families have been actively searching for alternative arrangements.
"They have contacted other authorities in the West Midlands area and asked around to see if anyone knows of any spare pitches. They have drawn a blank."
A campaign group called Residents Against Inappropriate Development (RAID), which has a protest camp opposite the site, said it would be objecting to the plans.
The application will be considered by the council in the next few months.
see also: - the Coventry Telegraph - Meriden Gypsies apply to set up smaller alternative camp in green belt
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
What it's like to be a Gypsy Roma child... - Worcestershire
From
A DVD aiming to promote a greater understanding of Gypsy Roma travellers has been put together with help from children of the community itself.
The youngsters joined forces with Worcestershire County Council’s Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) Education Team, journalist and romany Jake Bowers and romany storyteller Richard O’Neill.
It aims to foster more understanding of the GRT community by reflecting on issues from the past and present, while examining changing attitudes over the past 40 years.
Kay Poole, head of the GRT Education Team, said: “The young people that worked with us on this project were amazing.
“They were able to discuss the changes that have taken place and also willing to discuss rationally some of their own experiences as young travellers growing up in Worcestershire.
“We are really looking forward to sharing our finished archive project.”
To further spread the word every school in Worcestershire will receive a copy of the DVD which was created as part of the county council’s archive project.
A DVD aiming to promote a greater understanding of Gypsy Roma travellers has been put together with help from children of the community itself.
The youngsters joined forces with Worcestershire County Council’s Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) Education Team, journalist and romany Jake Bowers and romany storyteller Richard O’Neill.
It aims to foster more understanding of the GRT community by reflecting on issues from the past and present, while examining changing attitudes over the past 40 years.
Kay Poole, head of the GRT Education Team, said: “The young people that worked with us on this project were amazing.
“They were able to discuss the changes that have taken place and also willing to discuss rationally some of their own experiences as young travellers growing up in Worcestershire.
“We are really looking forward to sharing our finished archive project.”
To further spread the word every school in Worcestershire will receive a copy of the DVD which was created as part of the county council’s archive project.
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Travellers moved out of car park - Warwickshire
From the Nuneaton News
Gypsies have been forced to move after setting up camp in a restaurant car park.
Caravans moved onto the car park of Nuneaton’s Cedar Tree, in Avenue Road, at the end of week.
Police officers visited the Toby Carvery restaurant and asked the Travellers to move from the privately owned car park.
The group finally vacated the site yesterday.
The restaurant was not affected by the Travellers’ presence, and has been open as normal throughout their stay on the grounds.
A spokesman for the restaraunt said: “A Traveller group parked on the car park and field at the Cedar Tree late last week
“The Police asked the group to move on and as of yesterday they were no longer parked on our land.
“The carvery is trading as normal and didn’t experience any issues.”
Gypsies have been forced to move after setting up camp in a restaurant car park.
Caravans moved onto the car park of Nuneaton’s Cedar Tree, in Avenue Road, at the end of week.
Police officers visited the Toby Carvery restaurant and asked the Travellers to move from the privately owned car park.
The group finally vacated the site yesterday.
The restaurant was not affected by the Travellers’ presence, and has been open as normal throughout their stay on the grounds.
A spokesman for the restaraunt said: “A Traveller group parked on the car park and field at the Cedar Tree late last week
“The Police asked the group to move on and as of yesterday they were no longer parked on our land.
“The carvery is trading as normal and didn’t experience any issues.”
Monday, 28 January 2013
Home from Homesford a possibility for Gypsies - Derbyshire
From the Ashbourne News Telegraph
A WOODYARD at Homesford near Matlock has been identified as a possible site for a family of Travellers who need a home in the Derbyshire Dales.
The family, who have applied to Derbyshire Dales District Council for assistance under the Housing Act, are currently at Bakewell Showground while the council hurriedly searches for a suitable location.
The district council’s corporate committee met last week to debate 11 possible sites for the Travellers, including several in Ashbourne.
Now, although the site at Homesford has been put forward for consultation, the district council remains on the hunt for a potentially better spot for the Traveller family to live - possibly in the Ashbourne area.
At the meeting held on Tuesday, January 22, Councillor Bob Cartwright said: “We have to consider Ashbourne again. They have a member of their family who requires relatively constant medical treatment that he currently gets at St Oswald’s Hospital. He should be able to continue his relationship with the medical team in that area.
“I think the priority should still be to find a suitable site in Ashbourne.”
The Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group is set to remain in close consultation with the district council as a suitable site is sought.
Five potential sites identified by Derbyshire County Council were withdrawn just days before the meeting, as were areas off Mayfield Road, Ashbourne.
The site eventually chosen to go forward as a candidate for the Traveller family’s new home was the woodyard at Homesford, although grave concerns about the plot were voiced by Councillor Garry Purdy.
He said: “County council officers fought long and hard for a lot of years to get the Derwent Valley registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“I’m a bit upset at the least that this is under consideration.”
Campaigners from Ashbourne Allotments Association and Ashbourne Aware attended the meeting and spoke to the committee during the public participation session, despite sites at Mayfield Road being struck from the list ahead of the meeting.
Ashbourne Aware’s Peter Fox said: “This leaves one site that has been recommended by officers.
“To try to introduce sites that have already been dismissed would result in the farce of a planning authority applying to itself for planning permission which it’s own officers don’t recommend.”
In a statement released after the meeting, a district council spokesman said: “We totally understand that the decision to take forward only one site from the list of 11 presented to Tuesday’s corporate committee special meeting is a relief for many local people, but will be unpopular with those opposed to the Homesford woodyard site.
“However, we want to make it absolutely clear that the eventual creation of a Traveller site at Homesford is far from a foregone conclusion.
“The district council will now start a thorough public consultation exercise on the Homesford site and report back to the corporate committee before any further consideration can be given to taking the Homesford site to a further stage, which would be a formal planning application.
“In the meantime, we will be talking again to the Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group in an attempt to identify new alternative potential sites in the Derbyshire Dales that could be considered alongside Homesford woodyard.
“While the choice of Homesford was not even unanimously popular among members who voted on Tuesday, we must reiterate the district council’s legal obligation to identify a site for the Traveller family in question.
“Members fully understand that the legal duty to offer suitable accommodation is absolute and cannot be discharged unless a suitable offer of accommodation is made.
“If we chose to ignore this duty, it could result in costly legal action against the council that would have to be borne by the council tax payers of the Derbyshire Dales, and the duty to find suitable accommodation would still remain.
“A formal planning application for a temporary site for the Traveller family in Rowsley for a maximum period of nine months has now been submitted, and public comments are currently being invited.”
The controversy over the traveller site began in November last year when a planning application was made for a Traveller’s site at Watery Lane, Ashbourne. The application was to be considered by the southern area planning committee, but was pulled from the agenda after a lack of consultation sparked outrage among townsfolk and council members alike.
A WOODYARD at Homesford near Matlock has been identified as a possible site for a family of Travellers who need a home in the Derbyshire Dales.
The family, who have applied to Derbyshire Dales District Council for assistance under the Housing Act, are currently at Bakewell Showground while the council hurriedly searches for a suitable location.
The district council’s corporate committee met last week to debate 11 possible sites for the Travellers, including several in Ashbourne.
Now, although the site at Homesford has been put forward for consultation, the district council remains on the hunt for a potentially better spot for the Traveller family to live - possibly in the Ashbourne area.
At the meeting held on Tuesday, January 22, Councillor Bob Cartwright said: “We have to consider Ashbourne again. They have a member of their family who requires relatively constant medical treatment that he currently gets at St Oswald’s Hospital. He should be able to continue his relationship with the medical team in that area.
“I think the priority should still be to find a suitable site in Ashbourne.”
The Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group is set to remain in close consultation with the district council as a suitable site is sought.
Five potential sites identified by Derbyshire County Council were withdrawn just days before the meeting, as were areas off Mayfield Road, Ashbourne.
The site eventually chosen to go forward as a candidate for the Traveller family’s new home was the woodyard at Homesford, although grave concerns about the plot were voiced by Councillor Garry Purdy.
He said: “County council officers fought long and hard for a lot of years to get the Derwent Valley registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“I’m a bit upset at the least that this is under consideration.”
Campaigners from Ashbourne Allotments Association and Ashbourne Aware attended the meeting and spoke to the committee during the public participation session, despite sites at Mayfield Road being struck from the list ahead of the meeting.
Ashbourne Aware’s Peter Fox said: “This leaves one site that has been recommended by officers.
“To try to introduce sites that have already been dismissed would result in the farce of a planning authority applying to itself for planning permission which it’s own officers don’t recommend.”
In a statement released after the meeting, a district council spokesman said: “We totally understand that the decision to take forward only one site from the list of 11 presented to Tuesday’s corporate committee special meeting is a relief for many local people, but will be unpopular with those opposed to the Homesford woodyard site.
“However, we want to make it absolutely clear that the eventual creation of a Traveller site at Homesford is far from a foregone conclusion.
“The district council will now start a thorough public consultation exercise on the Homesford site and report back to the corporate committee before any further consideration can be given to taking the Homesford site to a further stage, which would be a formal planning application.
“In the meantime, we will be talking again to the Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group in an attempt to identify new alternative potential sites in the Derbyshire Dales that could be considered alongside Homesford woodyard.
“While the choice of Homesford was not even unanimously popular among members who voted on Tuesday, we must reiterate the district council’s legal obligation to identify a site for the Traveller family in question.
“Members fully understand that the legal duty to offer suitable accommodation is absolute and cannot be discharged unless a suitable offer of accommodation is made.
“If we chose to ignore this duty, it could result in costly legal action against the council that would have to be borne by the council tax payers of the Derbyshire Dales, and the duty to find suitable accommodation would still remain.
“A formal planning application for a temporary site for the Traveller family in Rowsley for a maximum period of nine months has now been submitted, and public comments are currently being invited.”
The controversy over the traveller site began in November last year when a planning application was made for a Traveller’s site at Watery Lane, Ashbourne. The application was to be considered by the southern area planning committee, but was pulled from the agenda after a lack of consultation sparked outrage among townsfolk and council members alike.
Stylist's head start thanks to Gypsy centre - Pembrokeshire
From the Milford and West Wales Mercury
A young Gypsy woman, who officially opened her own salon on Meyrick Street in Pembroke Dock last week, has said she could not have done it without the support of teachers at Monkton Priory.
Cherell Boswell, aged 22, lives at the Castle Quarry Gypsy site in Monkton and was a pupil at the Monkton School Priory Project – a dedicated centre for Gypsy Travellers – before starting a hair and beauty course at Pembrokeshire College when she was 15.
Seven years on Cherell is back at the salon where her hairdressing dream began – only this time she is the owner and not a student Speaking at the opening of Glamhairous, Cherell said: “Where I’m from, most of them do not go to school and most of them are wives.
“I was never stopped from doing anything. I wanted to go to school and I wanted to mix with other people.”
Cherell added: “I could not have done this without my teachers and my clients. The teachers were more like friends.
“If I had gone onto proper mainstream school, I would only be properly qualifying now.”
Bev Stephens, head of the Gypsy Traveller education service at Monkton Priory, said: “Cherell joined the project and it was just about giving her the options to shine like she has.”
Ms Stephens said she was proud of Cherell’s achievements.
“Cherell is a great role model,” she added.
There are currently 218 children from across the county and 19 secondary aged pupils involved in the project, which was set-up 16 years ago with funding from the Welsh Government.
Former Monkton School headteacher William Rees said: “Isn’t it lovely to celebrate a young woman who has done the right thing?
“I can’t tell you how proud I am to be here today and what she’s doing is showing other people how.”
A young Gypsy woman, who officially opened her own salon on Meyrick Street in Pembroke Dock last week, has said she could not have done it without the support of teachers at Monkton Priory.
Cherell Boswell, aged 22, lives at the Castle Quarry Gypsy site in Monkton and was a pupil at the Monkton School Priory Project – a dedicated centre for Gypsy Travellers – before starting a hair and beauty course at Pembrokeshire College when she was 15.
Seven years on Cherell is back at the salon where her hairdressing dream began – only this time she is the owner and not a student Speaking at the opening of Glamhairous, Cherell said: “Where I’m from, most of them do not go to school and most of them are wives.
“I was never stopped from doing anything. I wanted to go to school and I wanted to mix with other people.”
Cherell added: “I could not have done this without my teachers and my clients. The teachers were more like friends.
“If I had gone onto proper mainstream school, I would only be properly qualifying now.”
Bev Stephens, head of the Gypsy Traveller education service at Monkton Priory, said: “Cherell joined the project and it was just about giving her the options to shine like she has.”
Ms Stephens said she was proud of Cherell’s achievements.
“Cherell is a great role model,” she added.
There are currently 218 children from across the county and 19 secondary aged pupils involved in the project, which was set-up 16 years ago with funding from the Welsh Government.
Former Monkton School headteacher William Rees said: “Isn’t it lovely to celebrate a young woman who has done the right thing?
“I can’t tell you how proud I am to be here today and what she’s doing is showing other people how.”
Travellers pitch up in Littlehampton - Sussex
From the Littlehampton Gazette
ARUN District Council has begun legal action to evict half a dozen Travellers from a car park in Littlehampton, a spokeswoman for the authority said today (Monday, January 28).
Six caravans, believed to be from Ireland, have been illegally parked in St Martin’s car park since Sunday evening.
Speaking earlier today, a spokeswoman for Arun – the organisation in charge of maintaining the site – said: “The council is aware of the situation, Arun officers visited the site this morning and the legal process has been started for their removal.”
However, she added that the Travellers have indicated that they would be leaving at some point tomorrow (Tuesday, January 29).
Arun District Council has provided the encampment with rubbish bags after Travellers asked the organisation for some. It is also leaving the public toilets open overnight.
ARUN District Council has begun legal action to evict half a dozen Travellers from a car park in Littlehampton, a spokeswoman for the authority said today (Monday, January 28).
Six caravans, believed to be from Ireland, have been illegally parked in St Martin’s car park since Sunday evening.
Speaking earlier today, a spokeswoman for Arun – the organisation in charge of maintaining the site – said: “The council is aware of the situation, Arun officers visited the site this morning and the legal process has been started for their removal.”
However, she added that the Travellers have indicated that they would be leaving at some point tomorrow (Tuesday, January 29).
Arun District Council has provided the encampment with rubbish bags after Travellers asked the organisation for some. It is also leaving the public toilets open overnight.
Battle against Travellers site plan resumes - Yorkshire
From the Wakefield Express
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a Travellers site in Stanley have been recommended for approval despite hundreds of objections.
Campaign group Stanley Action said plans for a 10-pitch site, on Castle Gate, would harm green belt land, create safety hazards and ruin the look of the area.
But Wakefield Council’s planning committee has been recommended to approve the plan on Thursday, because it would help to meet targets for providing homes for travellers.
More than 500 letters were sent to the council, and villagers were backed by Outwood and Morley MP Ed Balls.
Coun Matthew Morley said: “Residents will continue their fight. We don’t think it’s a suitable use of green belt land, and we’re also worried about the proximity to the M62 and to Castle Gate which itself is a busy road.”
Last month a survey concluded that nearly 14 extra Travellers’ pitches were required in Wakefield by 2022.
And in a report that will go before Thursday’s meeting, planning officers said this need overruled the council’s policy on green belt land.
A statement on behalf of the landowners said the site would have a simple appearance, would enhance existing planting on the site and that there were suitable local amenities.
And planning advisors D&J Ruttledge said last year that a warden would be on site at all times, maintaining the area and liaising with the council and police.
They said tenants would be asked to leave if three complaints were made about them, and that parking limitations would be imposed.
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a Travellers site in Stanley have been recommended for approval despite hundreds of objections.
Campaign group Stanley Action said plans for a 10-pitch site, on Castle Gate, would harm green belt land, create safety hazards and ruin the look of the area.
But Wakefield Council’s planning committee has been recommended to approve the plan on Thursday, because it would help to meet targets for providing homes for travellers.
More than 500 letters were sent to the council, and villagers were backed by Outwood and Morley MP Ed Balls.
Coun Matthew Morley said: “Residents will continue their fight. We don’t think it’s a suitable use of green belt land, and we’re also worried about the proximity to the M62 and to Castle Gate which itself is a busy road.”
Last month a survey concluded that nearly 14 extra Travellers’ pitches were required in Wakefield by 2022.
And in a report that will go before Thursday’s meeting, planning officers said this need overruled the council’s policy on green belt land.
A statement on behalf of the landowners said the site would have a simple appearance, would enhance existing planting on the site and that there were suitable local amenities.
And planning advisors D&J Ruttledge said last year that a warden would be on site at all times, maintaining the area and liaising with the council and police.
They said tenants would be asked to leave if three complaints were made about them, and that parking limitations would be imposed.
Site Used By Travellers Near Scarborough Could Be Made Permanent - Yorkshire
From Yorkshire Coast Radio
It'll be decided this afternoon whether to make a site used by Travellers near Scarborough more permanent.
Council planners are recommending that land between Seamer and Crossgates is allowed for a temporary caravan site for up to 14 days a year.
It would be used during the Seamer Horse Fair every year.
Jill Lowe is the Plannning Manager at Scarborough Borough Council. She says: "The provision of this site has resulted in less harm to the community than having no site available. Previously we have had unauthorised encampments elsewhere in the locality and that's created more difficulty for the local community."
"It would restrict the site to being used for only 14 days per year, because in fact, the site has never actually been used for more than 10 days in any one year in any event."
It'll be decided this afternoon whether to make a site used by Travellers near Scarborough more permanent.
Council planners are recommending that land between Seamer and Crossgates is allowed for a temporary caravan site for up to 14 days a year.
It would be used during the Seamer Horse Fair every year.
Jill Lowe is the Plannning Manager at Scarborough Borough Council. She says: "The provision of this site has resulted in less harm to the community than having no site available. Previously we have had unauthorised encampments elsewhere in the locality and that's created more difficulty for the local community."
"It would restrict the site to being used for only 14 days per year, because in fact, the site has never actually been used for more than 10 days in any one year in any event."
Expansion plan for Osbaldwick Travellers’ site - Yorkshire
From the Press
THE Government has agreed to provide almost £350,000 to fund the major expansion of a York Travellers’ site.
City of York Council successfully bid for the money to increase the number of pitches at its Osbaldwick site from 12 to 18.
It also wants to provide a play area and create official grazing land for horses, which it said will help it tackle the problem of tethered horses on roadside verges, which have caused a series of road accidents over the past year.
But the proposal, involving draft green belt land alongside the existing site, will still need planning permission from council planners.
Osbaldwick councillor Mark Warters said it would be fiercely opposed by parish leaders in Osbaldwick, Murton, Holtby and Dunnington, who feared the expansion would lead to a worsening of existing problems in the area including antisocial behaviour, fly-tipping and crime.
He said they were also concerned that the council might seek to create even more pitches at a later stage.
He claimed Steve Waddington, the council’s assistant director of housing and community safety, told him at a meeting last week that Osbaldwick was “the only game in town”, as nowhere else in York was suitable for creating extra pitches or sites.
Mr Waddington said local authorities were legally required to identify a five-year supply of accommodation suitable for the Gypsy and Traveller communities and York had been considering how it could work towards delivering additional pitches.
“As part of the consultative process, I invited Coun Warters in his capacity as ward councillor to a briefing meeting, ahead of the council releasing the news of the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) endorsing our plan and allocating the city £342,000,” he said.
“Draft proposals for the site improvements will include the purchase of secure grazing land to help reduce numbers of horses being tethered on verges, as well as providing space for recreational activities.”
He said the council’s Local Plan was being drafted for 2014/15 to identify land for the additional 36 pitches York needs to provide by 2030.
Naz Parkar, of the HCA, said: “This investment is good news for York because it will help ensure that every member of the community will be able to live in the homes they want in a safe and suitable place.”
THE Government has agreed to provide almost £350,000 to fund the major expansion of a York Travellers’ site.
City of York Council successfully bid for the money to increase the number of pitches at its Osbaldwick site from 12 to 18.
It also wants to provide a play area and create official grazing land for horses, which it said will help it tackle the problem of tethered horses on roadside verges, which have caused a series of road accidents over the past year.
But the proposal, involving draft green belt land alongside the existing site, will still need planning permission from council planners.
Osbaldwick councillor Mark Warters said it would be fiercely opposed by parish leaders in Osbaldwick, Murton, Holtby and Dunnington, who feared the expansion would lead to a worsening of existing problems in the area including antisocial behaviour, fly-tipping and crime.
He said they were also concerned that the council might seek to create even more pitches at a later stage.
He claimed Steve Waddington, the council’s assistant director of housing and community safety, told him at a meeting last week that Osbaldwick was “the only game in town”, as nowhere else in York was suitable for creating extra pitches or sites.
Mr Waddington said local authorities were legally required to identify a five-year supply of accommodation suitable for the Gypsy and Traveller communities and York had been considering how it could work towards delivering additional pitches.
“As part of the consultative process, I invited Coun Warters in his capacity as ward councillor to a briefing meeting, ahead of the council releasing the news of the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) endorsing our plan and allocating the city £342,000,” he said.
“Draft proposals for the site improvements will include the purchase of secure grazing land to help reduce numbers of horses being tethered on verges, as well as providing space for recreational activities.”
He said the council’s Local Plan was being drafted for 2014/15 to identify land for the additional 36 pitches York needs to provide by 2030.
Naz Parkar, of the HCA, said: “This investment is good news for York because it will help ensure that every member of the community will be able to live in the homes they want in a safe and suitable place.”
Sunday, 27 January 2013
'SECRET GYPSY GRAVES' TERROR - Northumberland
From the Express
A CEMETERY boss fears for her life because she exposed a racket that may have allowed Gypsies to bury their dead on the cheap.
It could mean that up to 30 bodies will have to be exhumed. Some families may even have spent years tending the wrong graves.
Debbie Mowatt, the supervisor, says children have been threatened and an insider says someone scrawled graffiti on her van with a message “along the lines that she was going to die”.
Now she has had to have a panic alarm installed linking her home directly to a police station and the house is monitored by CCTV.
The insider added: “This lady has had a terrible time since this all blew up.” Mrs Mowatt has already been knocked unconscious and thrown into a 6ft freshly dug grave.
She told police it was still dark when she woke up. She was only able to escape because she called her boss on her mobile phone and he brought a ladder to help her out.
Two gravediggers were arrested over the attack but all charges against them were dropped five months later for lack of evidence.
Mrs Mowatt suspected cemetery workers had been taking money from Gypsies and travellers to bury their relatives without proper records being kept. Northumberland County Council staff have been touring graveyards in Tweedmouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed looking for “unofficial” coffins by ramming metal rods into the ground and by electronically scanning the graves.
Last November, the council issued an apology for the distress it anticipates will be caused to families because it has discovered “serious errors” at the two cemeteries.
Chris Gregory, 52, and Malcolm Purvis, 49, the gravediggers at the centre of the allegations, claim they are victims of a “witch hunt”.
Although the police charges over the assault were dropped, both were suspended from their £20,000-a-year jobs and sacked 13 months ago for gross misconduct. There is no suggestion that the men are behind the more recent threats.
At home in Scremerston, Mr Gregory, who runs a landscape gardening business, said all the claims against them were “never proved” He said both had been quizzed about taking cash, which they deny.
He explained the large number of unmarked graves by saying: “There are loads of pauper’s graves. You can’t put a headstone on a pauper’s grave. I know 120 per cent that nobody was buried in the wrong grave.”
Mr Purvis, of Berwick, said: “I’m sickened by what has gone on.”
A CEMETERY boss fears for her life because she exposed a racket that may have allowed Gypsies to bury their dead on the cheap.
It could mean that up to 30 bodies will have to be exhumed. Some families may even have spent years tending the wrong graves.
Debbie Mowatt, the supervisor, says children have been threatened and an insider says someone scrawled graffiti on her van with a message “along the lines that she was going to die”.
Now she has had to have a panic alarm installed linking her home directly to a police station and the house is monitored by CCTV.
The insider added: “This lady has had a terrible time since this all blew up.” Mrs Mowatt has already been knocked unconscious and thrown into a 6ft freshly dug grave.
She told police it was still dark when she woke up. She was only able to escape because she called her boss on her mobile phone and he brought a ladder to help her out.
Two gravediggers were arrested over the attack but all charges against them were dropped five months later for lack of evidence.
Mrs Mowatt suspected cemetery workers had been taking money from Gypsies and travellers to bury their relatives without proper records being kept. Northumberland County Council staff have been touring graveyards in Tweedmouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed looking for “unofficial” coffins by ramming metal rods into the ground and by electronically scanning the graves.
Last November, the council issued an apology for the distress it anticipates will be caused to families because it has discovered “serious errors” at the two cemeteries.
Chris Gregory, 52, and Malcolm Purvis, 49, the gravediggers at the centre of the allegations, claim they are victims of a “witch hunt”.
Although the police charges over the assault were dropped, both were suspended from their £20,000-a-year jobs and sacked 13 months ago for gross misconduct. There is no suggestion that the men are behind the more recent threats.
At home in Scremerston, Mr Gregory, who runs a landscape gardening business, said all the claims against them were “never proved” He said both had been quizzed about taking cash, which they deny.
He explained the large number of unmarked graves by saying: “There are loads of pauper’s graves. You can’t put a headstone on a pauper’s grave. I know 120 per cent that nobody was buried in the wrong grave.”
Mr Purvis, of Berwick, said: “I’m sickened by what has gone on.”
'Well-located' Traveller site is given approval - Cornwall
From the West Briton
PLANNERS have approved a controversial scheme for a new Traveller site in Mount Hawke.
Single mother Helen Birkett was given planning permission for three pitches, composting toilets and a utility shed on her two-acre plot near Mount Hawke Skatepark.
Cornwall Council's area planning committee also approved the continued use of two caravan sites in a neighbouring field for workers at Insite Managed Services.
Miss Birkett's proposal attracted 15 letters of objection, including from St Agnes Parish Council, citing waste and flooding concerns and the change of use from agricultural to residential.
Seventeen people, including local businesses and staff at Mount Hawke School, wrote in favour of the application.
Councillor Joyce Duffin, for Mount Hawke and Portreath, said while she understood people's concerns, the Traveller site was "well located".
The planning committee was told there was a "pressing need" for Traveller/Gypsy sites in Cornwall, and this scheme would help the council reach its target for 25 pitches in the former Carrick area by 2020.
Mrs Duffin said: "I know some people find it very frustrating that there is a different set of rules for Gypsy/Traveller planning applications.
"However, the local authority has to go by these policies, which are set by central government.
"In the past when the council has refused planning applications, they have been won at appeal because Cornwall Council doesn't have any available sites.
"It's better to approve the application, but with agreed conditions."
The conditions restrict the number of people allowed on the site and ban commercial activities, including the storage of materials, without prior written approval.
Mrs Duffin said: "I have a reasonable amount of experience regarding Gypsy/Traveller sites and policy, and I think these sites are well located. They're on the edge of the village, tucked away but within easy walking distance of the school and shops.
"The residents have been there for around 12 months and are well integrated within the village. This isn't an unknown entity that we're talking about."
Miss Birkett, who lives on the site with her son Rufus, 8, and two male friends who work and live in separate caravans, said: "I'm relieved. After months of uncertainty we can now settle, which is great for Rufus who's doing really well at Mount Hawke School."
She has already planted trees at the entrance to the site and says she now wants to create an orchard and vegetable plot.
PLANNERS have approved a controversial scheme for a new Traveller site in Mount Hawke.
Single mother Helen Birkett was given planning permission for three pitches, composting toilets and a utility shed on her two-acre plot near Mount Hawke Skatepark.
Cornwall Council's area planning committee also approved the continued use of two caravan sites in a neighbouring field for workers at Insite Managed Services.
Miss Birkett's proposal attracted 15 letters of objection, including from St Agnes Parish Council, citing waste and flooding concerns and the change of use from agricultural to residential.
Seventeen people, including local businesses and staff at Mount Hawke School, wrote in favour of the application.
Councillor Joyce Duffin, for Mount Hawke and Portreath, said while she understood people's concerns, the Traveller site was "well located".
The planning committee was told there was a "pressing need" for Traveller/Gypsy sites in Cornwall, and this scheme would help the council reach its target for 25 pitches in the former Carrick area by 2020.
Mrs Duffin said: "I know some people find it very frustrating that there is a different set of rules for Gypsy/Traveller planning applications.
"However, the local authority has to go by these policies, which are set by central government.
"In the past when the council has refused planning applications, they have been won at appeal because Cornwall Council doesn't have any available sites.
"It's better to approve the application, but with agreed conditions."
The conditions restrict the number of people allowed on the site and ban commercial activities, including the storage of materials, without prior written approval.
Mrs Duffin said: "I have a reasonable amount of experience regarding Gypsy/Traveller sites and policy, and I think these sites are well located. They're on the edge of the village, tucked away but within easy walking distance of the school and shops.
"The residents have been there for around 12 months and are well integrated within the village. This isn't an unknown entity that we're talking about."
Miss Birkett, who lives on the site with her son Rufus, 8, and two male friends who work and live in separate caravans, said: "I'm relieved. After months of uncertainty we can now settle, which is great for Rufus who's doing really well at Mount Hawke School."
She has already planted trees at the entrance to the site and says she now wants to create an orchard and vegetable plot.
Restrictions bring hope for end of unauthorised encampments - Aberdeenshire
From the Ellon Times
AN ELLON councillor has welcomed the news that the town’s Park and Ride facility will shortly have width restrictions to prevent unauthorised encampments by Travellers.
Cllr Richard Thomson had lobbied for the move, despite ongoing delays over upgrades to the site. Speaking to the Times, he said that it was a common-sense solution to a problem which has long bedevilled the town’s Park and Ride.
Earlier last year, local members on the Formartine Area Committee approved plans to expand the Ellon Park and Ride site. As part of these works, the entrance junction was to be narrowed and retractable bollards installed to prevent unauthorised usage.
However, councillors were told that the width restrictions could not be installed until the second phase of the project was underway, as buses would need to be able to access the current car park while the existing bus turning area was out of use during construction.
Following a number of public complaints, Cllr Thomson made a direct plea to Aberdeenshire Council’s Director of Infrastructure
Services to investigate the possibility of installing temporary width restrictions, which would allow cars to continue accessing the site, but which could ensure that necessary service vehicle and bus access could be maintained. Following this intervention, officials have now agreed to bring forward the introduction of width restriction measures.
Cllr Thomson told the Times: “I think this is a very sensible solution to the problem of misuse of the Park and Ride site which we experienced last summer.
“A number of groups used the site as a halting point between various other sites in the Ellon area. By making the site inaccessible to caravans, hopefully Aberdeenshire Council can save considerably on the time, effort and cost involved in moving people on from where they shouldn’t be.
“The Park and Ride is a very well used facility and its expansion is something which will benefit everyone. However, it’s important that no-one planning to use it as intended is put off from doing so by anyone misusing the site.
“I’m very pleased that Council officers have responded so positively to this constructive proposal and I look forward to the width
restrictions being in place before summer gets underway.”
Two separate groups of travellers were evicted by Aberdeenshire Council from the Ellon Park and Ride site over the course of last summer.
The town remains a popular destination for the travelling community, with a number of separate encampments by different groups over the course of last year. While the Park and Ride remained the most popular destination and was generally left in a reasonably good condition, Balmacassie Industrial Estate was also occupied, with large quantities of rubbish and industrial waste left behind, forcing the local authority to foot the clean-up bill.
The town also remains at the centre of contentious proposals for a halting site as part of the Local Development Plan, as part of ongoing industrial development at Balmacassie.
The proposals are currently opposed by the community council, with local members divided on the matter.
AN ELLON councillor has welcomed the news that the town’s Park and Ride facility will shortly have width restrictions to prevent unauthorised encampments by Travellers.
Cllr Richard Thomson had lobbied for the move, despite ongoing delays over upgrades to the site. Speaking to the Times, he said that it was a common-sense solution to a problem which has long bedevilled the town’s Park and Ride.
Earlier last year, local members on the Formartine Area Committee approved plans to expand the Ellon Park and Ride site. As part of these works, the entrance junction was to be narrowed and retractable bollards installed to prevent unauthorised usage.
However, councillors were told that the width restrictions could not be installed until the second phase of the project was underway, as buses would need to be able to access the current car park while the existing bus turning area was out of use during construction.
Following a number of public complaints, Cllr Thomson made a direct plea to Aberdeenshire Council’s Director of Infrastructure
Services to investigate the possibility of installing temporary width restrictions, which would allow cars to continue accessing the site, but which could ensure that necessary service vehicle and bus access could be maintained. Following this intervention, officials have now agreed to bring forward the introduction of width restriction measures.
Cllr Thomson told the Times: “I think this is a very sensible solution to the problem of misuse of the Park and Ride site which we experienced last summer.
“A number of groups used the site as a halting point between various other sites in the Ellon area. By making the site inaccessible to caravans, hopefully Aberdeenshire Council can save considerably on the time, effort and cost involved in moving people on from where they shouldn’t be.
“The Park and Ride is a very well used facility and its expansion is something which will benefit everyone. However, it’s important that no-one planning to use it as intended is put off from doing so by anyone misusing the site.
“I’m very pleased that Council officers have responded so positively to this constructive proposal and I look forward to the width
restrictions being in place before summer gets underway.”
Two separate groups of travellers were evicted by Aberdeenshire Council from the Ellon Park and Ride site over the course of last summer.
The town remains a popular destination for the travelling community, with a number of separate encampments by different groups over the course of last year. While the Park and Ride remained the most popular destination and was generally left in a reasonably good condition, Balmacassie Industrial Estate was also occupied, with large quantities of rubbish and industrial waste left behind, forcing the local authority to foot the clean-up bill.
The town also remains at the centre of contentious proposals for a halting site as part of the Local Development Plan, as part of ongoing industrial development at Balmacassie.
The proposals are currently opposed by the community council, with local members divided on the matter.
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Travellers' sites plans go ahead after challenge - Leicestershire
From the Leicester Mercury
Labour city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has seen off a challenge from within his own party on his controversial decision to develop two managed Travellers sites.
On Thursday night, members of Leicester City Council endorsed the mayor's plans to set up council-controlled pitches in Red Hill Way, Mowmacre Hill, and Greengate Lane, Beaumont Leys, to try to reduce the number of illegal camps in the city.
It followed a challenge to the decision by five councillors representing the Beaumont Leys and Abbey wards, who said residents were strongly opposed to having the sites near their homes.
They used "call in" rules to try to force a debate to get Sir Peter to rethink the decision, which he had been set to sign off.
It was the first time the legislation had been used to challenge a mayoral decision since Sir Peter was elected.
Beaumont Leys councillor Paul Westley called for his colleagues to reject Sir Peter's decision but only eight out of 54 supported him. He said: "I am disappointed. It's totally unacceptable to my constituents. They feel this part of the city is being unfairly burdened by too many plots."
Fellow ward councillor Sundip Meghani said illegal camps were a citywide problem needing a citywide solution.
He said: "All of us recognise the problem with illegal encampments. It's been going on for decades, but this approach is the completely wrong approach."
He said he was disappointed more members of the Labour-dominated council did not support a rethink, but said the sites would still be fought over at the planning stage.
Labour members of the planning committee, except for Coun Meghani, opted not to take part in the debate at the town hall, despite council lawyers telling them it would not prejudice any future decision.
Sir Peter told councillors that successive administrations had for years run away from tackling the issue of illegal camps.
He also said the problem had been historically greater in the north west part of the city and that was the best place to solve it.
He also said that the 16 pitches proposed at the two sites were not a panacea and that a need for 40 had been identified.
He said: "This is just the start of the process.
"It is good that we have had this debate. There was no whip on it and it is right the councillors should represent the views of the people in their wards.
"I am glad the council has endorsed my decision."
Labour city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has seen off a challenge from within his own party on his controversial decision to develop two managed Travellers sites.
On Thursday night, members of Leicester City Council endorsed the mayor's plans to set up council-controlled pitches in Red Hill Way, Mowmacre Hill, and Greengate Lane, Beaumont Leys, to try to reduce the number of illegal camps in the city.
It followed a challenge to the decision by five councillors representing the Beaumont Leys and Abbey wards, who said residents were strongly opposed to having the sites near their homes.
They used "call in" rules to try to force a debate to get Sir Peter to rethink the decision, which he had been set to sign off.
It was the first time the legislation had been used to challenge a mayoral decision since Sir Peter was elected.
Beaumont Leys councillor Paul Westley called for his colleagues to reject Sir Peter's decision but only eight out of 54 supported him. He said: "I am disappointed. It's totally unacceptable to my constituents. They feel this part of the city is being unfairly burdened by too many plots."
Fellow ward councillor Sundip Meghani said illegal camps were a citywide problem needing a citywide solution.
He said: "All of us recognise the problem with illegal encampments. It's been going on for decades, but this approach is the completely wrong approach."
He said he was disappointed more members of the Labour-dominated council did not support a rethink, but said the sites would still be fought over at the planning stage.
Labour members of the planning committee, except for Coun Meghani, opted not to take part in the debate at the town hall, despite council lawyers telling them it would not prejudice any future decision.
Sir Peter told councillors that successive administrations had for years run away from tackling the issue of illegal camps.
He also said the problem had been historically greater in the north west part of the city and that was the best place to solve it.
He also said that the 16 pitches proposed at the two sites were not a panacea and that a need for 40 had been identified.
He said: "This is just the start of the process.
"It is good that we have had this debate. There was no whip on it and it is right the councillors should represent the views of the people in their wards.
"I am glad the council has endorsed my decision."
A black and white snapshot of Travellers’ life in Park - Ireland
From the Derry Journal
When Fr. Michael Collins was a young curate in County Derry, snapping pictures of Travellers visiting Park village, he never imagined one day those precious images would become a snapshot of an almost forgotten era.
The former Limavady Parish Priest has been a keen photographer since his youth, but it was only when he retired a few years ago he had time to sit down and look at the images he had accumulated more than 40 years ago.
Among them were dozens of shots of Travellers who came each August to Park, where he was curate from 1967-1974.
In ‘Travellers in Time & Eternity’, Fr. Collins has shared dozens of those black and white photos - many posed, but some candid. They show happy faces of men, women, and children, all seemingly eager to be captured on camera in the year 1969. A number of photos of the graves of loved ones from the Travelling community are also featured in colour, showing the ornate detail on headstones.
Speaking from his Feeny home Father Collins told the ‘Journal’ “Back then there wasn’t much photography, and they were very happy to be photographed”
The link between the travelling community and Park goes back to the 1940s, when a young man drowned in the local river. He was buried locally, and each year afterwards his family would return to the village to see and tend to his grave. As the years progressed a number of Travellers were buried in the area. Each year, after graves were taken care of, Travellers would retire to the village to socialise.
“Tragedy started the whole thing, so they combined a day out with respect for the dead,” said the straight talking longtime Derry cleric. “Their binge was centred around Lynch’s pub, but it was small so the men would be inside and the women and children would sit outside. The men would bring them out crates of beer and bottles of stout to ensure they all had a good time.”
Also pictured in the book are several local people, including Gloria Lynch who continues to run Lynch’s pub in Park. Also included are Nuala Lynch, Bridie Lynch and Willie Cooke.
Fr. Collins recalls the Travellers who visited the village as respectful of the local community.
“There was no tension, that I saw and, even back then, they were conscious the terms ‘tinker’ or ‘Gypsy’ were not complimentary. They preferred to be called Travellers,” said Fr. Collins.
The one image that stands out is that of the woman gracing the front cover.
She stares straight at the camera, cradling an infant in each arm. Each baby is swaddled in knitted babygros; their heads covered in frilly bonnets. One is sound asleep, while the other cries.
The woman’s weathered face is lined with wrinkles. Her hair is tied back, her attire mis-matched, but tidy. Her lips are pursed, and clung to them is a lit cigarette.
“She was Granny Mary Stokes and those were her grandchildren,” explained Fr. Collins, who also revealed it’s his favourite picture and his subject was more than happy to pose.
“You could spend your life trying to get a picture like that; it just happened,” he said.
Fr. Collins says the pictures are an important piece of Irish history he is proud and keen to help preserve.
“They show an era; a culture whose style and dress has gone,” he said.
The book has proved popular locally, and word of it has spread to the Travelling community in parts of Ireland and England who have ordered a number of copies.
“It’s a snapshot of the travellers in Park. It’s a one-off and I’m pleased I put them all together,” said Fr. Collins
* Printed by Limavady Printing Company, the book is available in a variety of bookstores including Easons, Shipquay Books, and Foyle Books in Derry. It is also available in shops in Limavady and Dungiven, and throughout the Roe Valley.
When Fr. Michael Collins was a young curate in County Derry, snapping pictures of Travellers visiting Park village, he never imagined one day those precious images would become a snapshot of an almost forgotten era.
The former Limavady Parish Priest has been a keen photographer since his youth, but it was only when he retired a few years ago he had time to sit down and look at the images he had accumulated more than 40 years ago.
Among them were dozens of shots of Travellers who came each August to Park, where he was curate from 1967-1974.
In ‘Travellers in Time & Eternity’, Fr. Collins has shared dozens of those black and white photos - many posed, but some candid. They show happy faces of men, women, and children, all seemingly eager to be captured on camera in the year 1969. A number of photos of the graves of loved ones from the Travelling community are also featured in colour, showing the ornate detail on headstones.
Speaking from his Feeny home Father Collins told the ‘Journal’ “Back then there wasn’t much photography, and they were very happy to be photographed”
The link between the travelling community and Park goes back to the 1940s, when a young man drowned in the local river. He was buried locally, and each year afterwards his family would return to the village to see and tend to his grave. As the years progressed a number of Travellers were buried in the area. Each year, after graves were taken care of, Travellers would retire to the village to socialise.
“Tragedy started the whole thing, so they combined a day out with respect for the dead,” said the straight talking longtime Derry cleric. “Their binge was centred around Lynch’s pub, but it was small so the men would be inside and the women and children would sit outside. The men would bring them out crates of beer and bottles of stout to ensure they all had a good time.”
Also pictured in the book are several local people, including Gloria Lynch who continues to run Lynch’s pub in Park. Also included are Nuala Lynch, Bridie Lynch and Willie Cooke.
Fr. Collins recalls the Travellers who visited the village as respectful of the local community.
“There was no tension, that I saw and, even back then, they were conscious the terms ‘tinker’ or ‘Gypsy’ were not complimentary. They preferred to be called Travellers,” said Fr. Collins.
The one image that stands out is that of the woman gracing the front cover.
She stares straight at the camera, cradling an infant in each arm. Each baby is swaddled in knitted babygros; their heads covered in frilly bonnets. One is sound asleep, while the other cries.
The woman’s weathered face is lined with wrinkles. Her hair is tied back, her attire mis-matched, but tidy. Her lips are pursed, and clung to them is a lit cigarette.
“She was Granny Mary Stokes and those were her grandchildren,” explained Fr. Collins, who also revealed it’s his favourite picture and his subject was more than happy to pose.
“You could spend your life trying to get a picture like that; it just happened,” he said.
Fr. Collins says the pictures are an important piece of Irish history he is proud and keen to help preserve.
“They show an era; a culture whose style and dress has gone,” he said.
The book has proved popular locally, and word of it has spread to the Travelling community in parts of Ireland and England who have ordered a number of copies.
“It’s a snapshot of the travellers in Park. It’s a one-off and I’m pleased I put them all together,” said Fr. Collins
* Printed by Limavady Printing Company, the book is available in a variety of bookstores including Easons, Shipquay Books, and Foyle Books in Derry. It is also available in shops in Limavady and Dungiven, and throughout the Roe Valley.
Travellers slam judge for 'knacker' comment - Ireland
From the Independent.ie
A District Court judge has been condemned by Irish Travellers for using the word "knacker" to describe people who burgle businesses.
Judge Geoffrey Browne made the comments at Tuam District Court after hearing the case of a publican who has been robbed three times in five months.
Michael Masterson (69) suffered a heart attack and was hospitalised after raiders repeatedly targeted his Derreen Inn in Abbeyknockmoy, Co Galway.
The judge said that "maximum force should be used" against such intruders before describing those who carry out such attacks as "knackers".
Patrick and John Reilly, of Moyne Park, Abbeyknockmoy, had burgled the Derreen Inn on three occasions between them.
The judge sentenced Patrick Reilly to 22 months in prison and John Reilly to 18 months.
In a statement, the Irish Traveller Movement said that it was "deeply concerned" by the judge's use of language.
It said that a court of justice should not be a forum for the use of what it called "hate speech and derogatory or offensive language".
It added: "His offensive language has achieved nothing other than to further stigmatise one of Ireland's most marginalised communities."
The movement pointed to what it called a "worrying, emerging trend" for members of the judiciary to use discriminatory language towards Travellers from the bench.
A District Court judge has been condemned by Irish Travellers for using the word "knacker" to describe people who burgle businesses.
Judge Geoffrey Browne made the comments at Tuam District Court after hearing the case of a publican who has been robbed three times in five months.
Michael Masterson (69) suffered a heart attack and was hospitalised after raiders repeatedly targeted his Derreen Inn in Abbeyknockmoy, Co Galway.
The judge said that "maximum force should be used" against such intruders before describing those who carry out such attacks as "knackers".
Patrick and John Reilly, of Moyne Park, Abbeyknockmoy, had burgled the Derreen Inn on three occasions between them.
The judge sentenced Patrick Reilly to 22 months in prison and John Reilly to 18 months.
In a statement, the Irish Traveller Movement said that it was "deeply concerned" by the judge's use of language.
It said that a court of justice should not be a forum for the use of what it called "hate speech and derogatory or offensive language".
It added: "His offensive language has achieved nothing other than to further stigmatise one of Ireland's most marginalised communities."
The movement pointed to what it called a "worrying, emerging trend" for members of the judiciary to use discriminatory language towards Travellers from the bench.
Travellers move into Dorchester car park - Dorset
From the Dorset Echo
TRAVELLERS have set up camp at a busy town centre car park.
A convoy of caravans arrived at the Fairfield car park in Dorchester on Thursday night and remained throughout yesterday.
The group have been told if they do not leave over the weekend moves will be made to evict them.
They have told Dorset Police and West Dorset District Council that they will vacate the land by noon today.
If the Travellers are still on site by Monday the authority will enforce their eviction.
Dorset Police inspector Steve Marsh said: “I personally have visited the Travellers and at the moment, they have agreed to vacate the car park by noon.
“That is their agreement with West Dorset District Council.
“I have spoken to the council and they are going to continue to provide a presence in the car park.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and make sure the travellers fulfil their promise.
“If not, then the local authority will seek to take enforcement action on Monday.”
He moved to calm concerns of the public over the appearance of the group.
He said: “Some local people might be concerned but the Travellers have done nothing untoward, other than entering and staying in the car park when they shouldn’t be there.”
Leader of West Dorset District Council, Robert Gould said: “We are aware that a number of travellers are currently located at Fairfield car park.
“We are working with Dorset Police and the county council’s Gypsy Traveller Liaison Officer to resolve the issue.”
Councils across Dorset are still reviewing the need for permanent Traveller sites following a consultation between November 2011 and February last year.
Dorchester Town ward councillor Tess James, inset, said: “If the Travellers have said they are moving on, then they are moving on.
“I think we need to look at Travellers’ sites – they need to stay somewhere.
“However, if they were to stay in the car park for longer than they have agreed then it would become an issue.”
The group, who told police they are from the London area, said they will return there today.
In September a group of Travellers who set up camp by Poundbury’s Great Field moved on after one night.
Six caravans arrived at Prince Charles’s village but left after discussions with the Duchy of Cornwall to go to the official Travellers’ site at Piddlehinton.
In the same month, a French group set up camp at the Mount Pleasant Park and Ride site but left after a few days.
Councils work together to create development plan
DORSET County Council, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council are working with other local authorities across Dorset to create a Development Plan on proposed traveller sites.
This is in order to meet the needs identified by the Dorset Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment that was commissioned by Dorset councils in 2007.
In the latest statement on the issue in October, the councils said that the results of the consultation would be reported to councillors.
The government introduced a new planning policy for Traveller sites in March last year.
It requires local councils to look again at the way they have assessed the need for traveller sites in the past and to prepare new figures, if necessary.
Councils will consider carrying out a new assessment, which, once approved, will be completed in the first part of this year.
A West Dorset District Council spokesman said the next steps will be a review of needs assessment and an assessment of new sites and areas of search put forward during the consultation process, to determine whether these sites could be identified as alternative or additional sites to those sites already identified.
A revised timetable for these is yet to be produced.
TRAVELLERS have set up camp at a busy town centre car park.
A convoy of caravans arrived at the Fairfield car park in Dorchester on Thursday night and remained throughout yesterday.
The group have been told if they do not leave over the weekend moves will be made to evict them.
They have told Dorset Police and West Dorset District Council that they will vacate the land by noon today.
If the Travellers are still on site by Monday the authority will enforce their eviction.
Dorset Police inspector Steve Marsh said: “I personally have visited the Travellers and at the moment, they have agreed to vacate the car park by noon.
“That is their agreement with West Dorset District Council.
“I have spoken to the council and they are going to continue to provide a presence in the car park.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and make sure the travellers fulfil their promise.
“If not, then the local authority will seek to take enforcement action on Monday.”
He moved to calm concerns of the public over the appearance of the group.
He said: “Some local people might be concerned but the Travellers have done nothing untoward, other than entering and staying in the car park when they shouldn’t be there.”
Leader of West Dorset District Council, Robert Gould said: “We are aware that a number of travellers are currently located at Fairfield car park.
“We are working with Dorset Police and the county council’s Gypsy Traveller Liaison Officer to resolve the issue.”
Councils across Dorset are still reviewing the need for permanent Traveller sites following a consultation between November 2011 and February last year.
Dorchester Town ward councillor Tess James, inset, said: “If the Travellers have said they are moving on, then they are moving on.
“I think we need to look at Travellers’ sites – they need to stay somewhere.
“However, if they were to stay in the car park for longer than they have agreed then it would become an issue.”
The group, who told police they are from the London area, said they will return there today.
In September a group of Travellers who set up camp by Poundbury’s Great Field moved on after one night.
Six caravans arrived at Prince Charles’s village but left after discussions with the Duchy of Cornwall to go to the official Travellers’ site at Piddlehinton.
In the same month, a French group set up camp at the Mount Pleasant Park and Ride site but left after a few days.
Councils work together to create development plan
DORSET County Council, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council are working with other local authorities across Dorset to create a Development Plan on proposed traveller sites.
This is in order to meet the needs identified by the Dorset Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment that was commissioned by Dorset councils in 2007.
In the latest statement on the issue in October, the councils said that the results of the consultation would be reported to councillors.
The government introduced a new planning policy for Traveller sites in March last year.
It requires local councils to look again at the way they have assessed the need for traveller sites in the past and to prepare new figures, if necessary.
Councils will consider carrying out a new assessment, which, once approved, will be completed in the first part of this year.
A West Dorset District Council spokesman said the next steps will be a review of needs assessment and an assessment of new sites and areas of search put forward during the consultation process, to determine whether these sites could be identified as alternative or additional sites to those sites already identified.
A revised timetable for these is yet to be produced.
'More sites needed' for Travellers - Scotland
From icscotland.co.uk
Councils are being urged to provide more sites for Travellers which could help police build trust with this community.
The Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (Asps) said landowners want the police to take "robust action to evict Gypsy-Travellers" from unauthorised camps on private land.
The situation "at least partly" contributes to the lack of trust between Travellers and the police.
Asps is calling for more local authority sites at which Travellers can set up camp.
Superintendent Gavin Buist, Asps vice-president, is due to raise the matter with MSPs on Holyrood's Equal Opportunities Committee which is examining the accommodation available to Travellers.
In its submission to MSPs, Asps said the number of council-owned pitches fell from 560 in 2003 to 480 in 2006.
"This lack of provision of suitable sites for Gypsy-Travellers in Scotland creates knock-on problems for the police service in Scotland, particularly in relation to informal or unauthorised encampments."
A "relationship has never properly developed between the police and this particular community", Asps stated. "This situation can at least partly be attributed to the pressures which can be brought to bear on the police when Gypsy-Travellers occupy land otherwise than at an authorised encampment. This is particularly so where privately owned land is involved. Landowners expect the police to take robust action to evict Gypsy-Travellers."
Public perception of Travellers is generally negative and "tainted by criminal connotations", according to Asps, while pointing out that such views "do not always have a solid foundation in fact".
"Going forward, Asps would like to see the provision of more local authority sites with better facilities for Gypsy-Travellers in Scotland and better access to public services including health and education."
Councils are being urged to provide more sites for Travellers which could help police build trust with this community.
The Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (Asps) said landowners want the police to take "robust action to evict Gypsy-Travellers" from unauthorised camps on private land.
The situation "at least partly" contributes to the lack of trust between Travellers and the police.
Asps is calling for more local authority sites at which Travellers can set up camp.
Superintendent Gavin Buist, Asps vice-president, is due to raise the matter with MSPs on Holyrood's Equal Opportunities Committee which is examining the accommodation available to Travellers.
In its submission to MSPs, Asps said the number of council-owned pitches fell from 560 in 2003 to 480 in 2006.
"This lack of provision of suitable sites for Gypsy-Travellers in Scotland creates knock-on problems for the police service in Scotland, particularly in relation to informal or unauthorised encampments."
A "relationship has never properly developed between the police and this particular community", Asps stated. "This situation can at least partly be attributed to the pressures which can be brought to bear on the police when Gypsy-Travellers occupy land otherwise than at an authorised encampment. This is particularly so where privately owned land is involved. Landowners expect the police to take robust action to evict Gypsy-Travellers."
Public perception of Travellers is generally negative and "tainted by criminal connotations", according to Asps, while pointing out that such views "do not always have a solid foundation in fact".
"Going forward, Asps would like to see the provision of more local authority sites with better facilities for Gypsy-Travellers in Scotland and better access to public services including health and education."
Dale Farm: New Year, Same Old Problems - Essex
From the Advocacy Project
It is the beginning of a new year – over a year on from the eviction of the Irish Traveller families at Dale Farm – and it is clearer than ever that Basildon Council’s aggressive, multi-million pound approach to the situation was a waste of time and has only caused more problems for the Travellers and for the local settled residents in Crays Hill. I am not sure exactly what Tony Ball and his colleagues expected to happen. Did they expect that the Travellers would just disappear?
Michelle Sheridan with her son, Tom in their caravan as they are leaving their yard at Dale Farm after the eviction. Michelle now lives on the road leading up to her bulldozed property with her four children, as do most of her extended family (including her elderly, infirm mother),
Michelle Sheridan with her son, Tom in their caravan as they are leaving their yard at Dale Farm after the eviction. Michelle now lives on the road leading up to her bulldozed property with her four children, as do most of her extended family (including her elderly, infirm mother),
The residents of Dale Farm have always been very clear in their meetings with the Council. They filled out endless homeless applications, detailed forms about their personal circumstances and explained face-to-face that they have nowhere else to go and that life on the road is no longer tenable (and is particularly dangerous for the many children, elderly and disabled residents who have settled there). Basildon Council members claim to have reviewed their personal circumstances and have deemed the residents officially homeless by the Council’s standards. Therefore, Council members knew how many small children and elderly, ill and disabled people lived there. They knew that if evicted and forced onto the road (where they would most likely be moved on every 24 hours), it would be impossible for the Travellers to access reliable and consistent healthcare, education, and water/toilet facilities. By evicting the residents from their homes, what choice did Basildon Council give them but to stay (where they have established relationships to doctors, schools, some facilities) as long as possible?
So this is exactly what has happened. The Dale Farm Travellers are still there. They are either now living on the road leading up to their bulldozed properties or temporarily taking refuge on the neighbouring yards on the legal side of Oak Lane. No matter what Tony Ball wants you to believe, these are the same Travellers he forcibly evicted 15 months ago. In the 3 years leading up to the eviction, I personally visited the residents on every single yard on numerous occasions, and these are the same people I still visit today. Of course, Tony Ball doesn’t want to admit that these are the same people. The fact that they are still there, living in squalor with no reliable access to water, sewage, electricity, proves that the residents were telling the truth when they said they had nowhere else to go. Even more worrying to Mr Ball, their presence proves not only that his eviction campaign was a complete and utter failure but that it has left a brewing humanitarian and environmental crisis in its aftermath.
The Environment Agency has visited and examined the site and is due to report on the level of contamination any day (the most likely hazards are asbestos, leaking sewerage, and rat infestation). These environmental hazards are not only a threat to the former Dale Farm Travellers, but also residents on the adjacent legal yards and the settled Crays Hill residents on Oak Road, which backs up to the site. These local residents are entirely dissatisfied with the outcome of the Council’s “eviction”, so much so that their most outspoken, pro-eviction representative, Len Gridley, is now teaming up with the Dale Farm Travellers to sue Basildon Council.
It is no big surprise that the forced eviction at Dale Farm offered no solutions (long or short term) to anyone’s problems. Local councils cannot just forcibly evict people with no consideration for their welfare, with the hope at best to push their problems onto the next council. Surely, if councils won’t, the UK government needs to take a wider, longer term view on this issue. The obvious solution is to address the shortage of sites, which will address the needs of an ethnic minority group currently without adequate access to housing, healthcare, education or basic services and, in turn, decrease the number of illegal encampments that negatively impact on local settled residents.
The legacy of Dale Farm and this botched eviction may serve as a lesson to other councils and may pave the way for longer-term decision-making. Basildon Council, however, needs to learn from its own mistakes, stop threatening yet another eviction, and find a long-term solution for the Travellers and local residents. Planning permission has been granted for a small, 15 pitch site in Basildon near Dale Farm. This is certainly a step in the right direction and this site will hopefully become a permanent, stable home to some of the most vulnerable Travellers from Dale Farm and throughout the district. This does not come close to addressing the current need in the area. It is time now for Basildon Council to abandon strategies that are not working and to look to solutions that can actually benefit its constituents.
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It seems strange that in the five months that have passed since their eviction, in some ways, everything is different for the Dale Farm Travellers but, in other ways, nothing has changed. The home they had made over the past ten years is unrecognisable: Basildon Council has dug up every yard and has intentionally left piles of rubble blocking any possible entrance point into the site. Bunding (enormous mounds of earth and deep ditches) on the road makes it impossible for residents who are legally allowed to remain to get their trailers anywhere near the three legal pitches. (Lorraine Brown, Basildon Council’s legal representative, told these residents that they would need a helicopter to re-enter their yards.) It has been left resembling a bombsite and has now become a prime site for fly tipping. It seems impossible to imagine that Basildon Council has any intention of returning it to green fields as it promised (particularly since none of the eviction budget was allocated for this purpose).
Dale Farm residents, however, did not just disappear after the eviction as Basildon Council hoped. The majority remain just past the boundary of the Dale Farm site on the legal Traveller site at Oak Lane. The conditions under which they are living are far worse than before. Some have been allowed temporary refuge on relatives’ legal yards with limited access to amenities (electricity, water, toilets) but the majority are forced to live alongside the main road of the site without even these basic necessities. Spirits are low and tensions high and these hazardous conditions are taking their toll. Both the UN and the Red Cross have visited the site and have submitted reports to Basildon Council detailing the environmental health implications of living under these conditions. Opponents to the Travellers and the local press often claim that the Dale Farm residents have other places to live – but having seen the post-eviction reality at Dale Farm first-hand, I find it difficult to believe that anyone would choose to live there, if they had anywhere else to go.
Their lives have been turned upside down and, to make matters worse, they are facing all of the same problems they were trying to tackle before the eviction. The Council is still refusing to engage in constructive negotiations to find a long-term solution to its problem, despite the Travellers’ eagerness to work with the Council to find a suitable alternative site. This week they not only lost again in the courts (this time they lost their appeal arguing that Basildon Council should be required to provide culturally appropriate accommodation), but they were also served with Planning Contravention Orders requiring them to leave the legal site within 21 days. The Travellers know that it is only a matter of time before they are again facing an eviction, and the Council has still not addressed the residents’ very real concerns that consistent and reliable access to schools and healthcare whilst on the road will not be possible.
So, where do we go from here? I don’t believe it is too late to find a long-term solution. Council Leader Tony Ball has stated “the council accepts that it will need to provide additional pitches to cater for the growth of the traveller population who live legally in the borough and it will be working with the travellers to do this.” This is an important declaration. So, CL Ball, is there a willingness on the part of the Council to engage with the Dale Farm Travellers who have been made homeless by the eviction and have a clear need for pitches? Wouldn’t this serve Basildon’s interests better than further costly enforcement action that has no guarantee of solving the problems of either side?
It is the beginning of a new year – over a year on from the eviction of the Irish Traveller families at Dale Farm – and it is clearer than ever that Basildon Council’s aggressive, multi-million pound approach to the situation was a waste of time and has only caused more problems for the Travellers and for the local settled residents in Crays Hill. I am not sure exactly what Tony Ball and his colleagues expected to happen. Did they expect that the Travellers would just disappear?
Michelle Sheridan with her son, Tom in their caravan as they are leaving their yard at Dale Farm after the eviction. Michelle now lives on the road leading up to her bulldozed property with her four children, as do most of her extended family (including her elderly, infirm mother),
Michelle Sheridan with her son, Tom in their caravan as they are leaving their yard at Dale Farm after the eviction. Michelle now lives on the road leading up to her bulldozed property with her four children, as do most of her extended family (including her elderly, infirm mother),
The residents of Dale Farm have always been very clear in their meetings with the Council. They filled out endless homeless applications, detailed forms about their personal circumstances and explained face-to-face that they have nowhere else to go and that life on the road is no longer tenable (and is particularly dangerous for the many children, elderly and disabled residents who have settled there). Basildon Council members claim to have reviewed their personal circumstances and have deemed the residents officially homeless by the Council’s standards. Therefore, Council members knew how many small children and elderly, ill and disabled people lived there. They knew that if evicted and forced onto the road (where they would most likely be moved on every 24 hours), it would be impossible for the Travellers to access reliable and consistent healthcare, education, and water/toilet facilities. By evicting the residents from their homes, what choice did Basildon Council give them but to stay (where they have established relationships to doctors, schools, some facilities) as long as possible?
So this is exactly what has happened. The Dale Farm Travellers are still there. They are either now living on the road leading up to their bulldozed properties or temporarily taking refuge on the neighbouring yards on the legal side of Oak Lane. No matter what Tony Ball wants you to believe, these are the same Travellers he forcibly evicted 15 months ago. In the 3 years leading up to the eviction, I personally visited the residents on every single yard on numerous occasions, and these are the same people I still visit today. Of course, Tony Ball doesn’t want to admit that these are the same people. The fact that they are still there, living in squalor with no reliable access to water, sewage, electricity, proves that the residents were telling the truth when they said they had nowhere else to go. Even more worrying to Mr Ball, their presence proves not only that his eviction campaign was a complete and utter failure but that it has left a brewing humanitarian and environmental crisis in its aftermath.
The Environment Agency has visited and examined the site and is due to report on the level of contamination any day (the most likely hazards are asbestos, leaking sewerage, and rat infestation). These environmental hazards are not only a threat to the former Dale Farm Travellers, but also residents on the adjacent legal yards and the settled Crays Hill residents on Oak Road, which backs up to the site. These local residents are entirely dissatisfied with the outcome of the Council’s “eviction”, so much so that their most outspoken, pro-eviction representative, Len Gridley, is now teaming up with the Dale Farm Travellers to sue Basildon Council.
It is no big surprise that the forced eviction at Dale Farm offered no solutions (long or short term) to anyone’s problems. Local councils cannot just forcibly evict people with no consideration for their welfare, with the hope at best to push their problems onto the next council. Surely, if councils won’t, the UK government needs to take a wider, longer term view on this issue. The obvious solution is to address the shortage of sites, which will address the needs of an ethnic minority group currently without adequate access to housing, healthcare, education or basic services and, in turn, decrease the number of illegal encampments that negatively impact on local settled residents.
The legacy of Dale Farm and this botched eviction may serve as a lesson to other councils and may pave the way for longer-term decision-making. Basildon Council, however, needs to learn from its own mistakes, stop threatening yet another eviction, and find a long-term solution for the Travellers and local residents. Planning permission has been granted for a small, 15 pitch site in Basildon near Dale Farm. This is certainly a step in the right direction and this site will hopefully become a permanent, stable home to some of the most vulnerable Travellers from Dale Farm and throughout the district. This does not come close to addressing the current need in the area. It is time now for Basildon Council to abandon strategies that are not working and to look to solutions that can actually benefit its constituents.
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It seems strange that in the five months that have passed since their eviction, in some ways, everything is different for the Dale Farm Travellers but, in other ways, nothing has changed. The home they had made over the past ten years is unrecognisable: Basildon Council has dug up every yard and has intentionally left piles of rubble blocking any possible entrance point into the site. Bunding (enormous mounds of earth and deep ditches) on the road makes it impossible for residents who are legally allowed to remain to get their trailers anywhere near the three legal pitches. (Lorraine Brown, Basildon Council’s legal representative, told these residents that they would need a helicopter to re-enter their yards.) It has been left resembling a bombsite and has now become a prime site for fly tipping. It seems impossible to imagine that Basildon Council has any intention of returning it to green fields as it promised (particularly since none of the eviction budget was allocated for this purpose).
Dale Farm residents, however, did not just disappear after the eviction as Basildon Council hoped. The majority remain just past the boundary of the Dale Farm site on the legal Traveller site at Oak Lane. The conditions under which they are living are far worse than before. Some have been allowed temporary refuge on relatives’ legal yards with limited access to amenities (electricity, water, toilets) but the majority are forced to live alongside the main road of the site without even these basic necessities. Spirits are low and tensions high and these hazardous conditions are taking their toll. Both the UN and the Red Cross have visited the site and have submitted reports to Basildon Council detailing the environmental health implications of living under these conditions. Opponents to the Travellers and the local press often claim that the Dale Farm residents have other places to live – but having seen the post-eviction reality at Dale Farm first-hand, I find it difficult to believe that anyone would choose to live there, if they had anywhere else to go.
Their lives have been turned upside down and, to make matters worse, they are facing all of the same problems they were trying to tackle before the eviction. The Council is still refusing to engage in constructive negotiations to find a long-term solution to its problem, despite the Travellers’ eagerness to work with the Council to find a suitable alternative site. This week they not only lost again in the courts (this time they lost their appeal arguing that Basildon Council should be required to provide culturally appropriate accommodation), but they were also served with Planning Contravention Orders requiring them to leave the legal site within 21 days. The Travellers know that it is only a matter of time before they are again facing an eviction, and the Council has still not addressed the residents’ very real concerns that consistent and reliable access to schools and healthcare whilst on the road will not be possible.
So, where do we go from here? I don’t believe it is too late to find a long-term solution. Council Leader Tony Ball has stated “the council accepts that it will need to provide additional pitches to cater for the growth of the traveller population who live legally in the borough and it will be working with the travellers to do this.” This is an important declaration. So, CL Ball, is there a willingness on the part of the Council to engage with the Dale Farm Travellers who have been made homeless by the eviction and have a clear need for pitches? Wouldn’t this serve Basildon’s interests better than further costly enforcement action that has no guarantee of solving the problems of either side?
Illegally parked Travellers' caravans 'blighting school run at Brigg Primary' - Lincolnshire
From the Scunthorpe Telegraph
PARENTS have hit out at owners of illegally parked caravans outside Brigg Primary School.
They say the school run is being blighted by the caravans obstructing an access road which parents use to turn around in. The problem has become so bad that both parents and the school have made complaints to North Lincolnshire Council.
A parent of a child who attends the school, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "The Travellers have set up camp on the road outside the school.
"There is a road that goes down and at the bottom of the road, there is a turning point and it is making it very difficult for people to go down there.
"Some of us have been in contact with North Lincolnshire Council. They have said what will happen is they will put in a notice to remove them but the Travellers will then appeal that."
She said around four caravans were parked up outside the school and had been there since just before the Christmas break.
Measures have already been taken to alleviate traffic concerns outside the school.
North Lincolnshire Council has installed a permanent 20mph advisory speed limit.
And in September 2011, parents who were parking on double yellow lines were targeted as part of a council clampdown.
Traffic officers ticketed offenders outside the school who were blocking the road and creating a hazard. Now, new calls are being made to alleviate the problem of the caravans blocking access.
A North Lincolnshire Council spokeswoman said: "The council has received calls from concerned parents about difficulties turning their cars around when taking and picking up their children from Brigg Primary School.
"This is due to Gypsies and Travellers being located at the end of Atherton Way, across from the rear entrance of the school.
"People are parking their cars along both sides of the road and next to the caravans, which is causing problems for others trying to leave.
"The council is working hard to solve the problem."
The school refused to comment.
PARENTS have hit out at owners of illegally parked caravans outside Brigg Primary School.
They say the school run is being blighted by the caravans obstructing an access road which parents use to turn around in. The problem has become so bad that both parents and the school have made complaints to North Lincolnshire Council.
A parent of a child who attends the school, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "The Travellers have set up camp on the road outside the school.
"There is a road that goes down and at the bottom of the road, there is a turning point and it is making it very difficult for people to go down there.
"Some of us have been in contact with North Lincolnshire Council. They have said what will happen is they will put in a notice to remove them but the Travellers will then appeal that."
She said around four caravans were parked up outside the school and had been there since just before the Christmas break.
Measures have already been taken to alleviate traffic concerns outside the school.
North Lincolnshire Council has installed a permanent 20mph advisory speed limit.
And in September 2011, parents who were parking on double yellow lines were targeted as part of a council clampdown.
Traffic officers ticketed offenders outside the school who were blocking the road and creating a hazard. Now, new calls are being made to alleviate the problem of the caravans blocking access.
A North Lincolnshire Council spokeswoman said: "The council has received calls from concerned parents about difficulties turning their cars around when taking and picking up their children from Brigg Primary School.
"This is due to Gypsies and Travellers being located at the end of Atherton Way, across from the rear entrance of the school.
"People are parking their cars along both sides of the road and next to the caravans, which is causing problems for others trying to leave.
"The council is working hard to solve the problem."
The school refused to comment.
Travellers' camp rejected by planners - Cheshire
From Warrington Worldwide
THE controversial plan to expand a Travellers' camp on Green Belt land at Grappenhall has been thrown out by planning chiefs.
Councillors visited the site in Cartridge Lane, Grappenhall and then voted to accept the advice of their officers and refuse retrospective planning consent.
Traveller John Smith sought permission to change the use of part of the site to enable two mobile homes and 10 touring caravans to be sited there.
Utility blocks, a septic tank and additional hard standing are also included in the application.
Temporary permission to use the site was granted after an appeal in 2008, despite furious opposition from nearby residents and parish councils. But this consent expired in 2011, making the whole site unauthorised.
P
lanners said unlike the proposals put forward in 2008, the new application would represent a "major" development if it were for conventional housing.
Approval of the application would facilitate the evolution of the site into a significant base for the applicants, their various businesses, their vehicles and animals
More than 200 people wrote letters of objection and 600 signed a protest petition.
Local councillor Mike Biggin (pictured) said: "The applicant has demonstrated by his actions that he is unlikely to abide by the law or by the conditions set down by even the expired temporary permission. Although we have no prejudice against the Travellers or their lifestyle choice it is plainly unfair, in the view of many, that they should be allowed to continually flout planning law"
A residents’ spokesman said: “We wish the Travellers well in finding a more suitable settlement to match their needs but feel that this particular site is unsuitable. It is not only unlawful, but out of keeping with the local environment.”
The Travellers have the right to appeal against the decision
THE controversial plan to expand a Travellers' camp on Green Belt land at Grappenhall has been thrown out by planning chiefs.
Councillors visited the site in Cartridge Lane, Grappenhall and then voted to accept the advice of their officers and refuse retrospective planning consent.
Traveller John Smith sought permission to change the use of part of the site to enable two mobile homes and 10 touring caravans to be sited there.
Utility blocks, a septic tank and additional hard standing are also included in the application.
Temporary permission to use the site was granted after an appeal in 2008, despite furious opposition from nearby residents and parish councils. But this consent expired in 2011, making the whole site unauthorised.
P
lanners said unlike the proposals put forward in 2008, the new application would represent a "major" development if it were for conventional housing.
Approval of the application would facilitate the evolution of the site into a significant base for the applicants, their various businesses, their vehicles and animals
More than 200 people wrote letters of objection and 600 signed a protest petition.
Local councillor Mike Biggin (pictured) said: "The applicant has demonstrated by his actions that he is unlikely to abide by the law or by the conditions set down by even the expired temporary permission. Although we have no prejudice against the Travellers or their lifestyle choice it is plainly unfair, in the view of many, that they should be allowed to continually flout planning law"
A residents’ spokesman said: “We wish the Travellers well in finding a more suitable settlement to match their needs but feel that this particular site is unsuitable. It is not only unlawful, but out of keeping with the local environment.”
The Travellers have the right to appeal against the decision
Hundreds attend funeral of Gypsy grandfather Tommy 'Tucker' Lee - County Durham
From the Stockton and Darlington Times
HUNDREDS of people came to a North-East town for the funeral of a devoted grandfather described as a ‘film star of the Gypsy community’.
Tommy ‘Tucker’ Lee, of Darlington, died on Sunday (January 20) after a long illness. He was 59.
His family, friends and members of the Gypsy and travelling communities came from all over the country to attend his funeral at the Light and Life Mission, in Parkgate.
Community leader Billy Welch, who was Mr Lee’s second cousin, described him as “very well-liked and respected”.
Mr Welch said: “He was a kind-hearted and generous man, who was the life and soul of every single wedding and party he ever went to.
“He was a good-looking fella, a naturally funny, with a great singing voice and film-star looks.
“People were drawn to him, his funeral was a perfect example of how well-loved he was.
“They could not fit everybody in the church, people had to stand outside listening on speakers.
“He has left a very big empty space in everybody’s lives and a massive gap in our community.
“I do not know anybody who has a bad word to say about him.”
At the funeral, moving readings were given by two of Mr Lee’s life-long friends, John Howard and Johnny Ward.
Mr Welch said Mr Lee was proud of his roots as a Romany Gypsy.
Following the service, Mr Lee was buried in Darlington’s West Cemetery.
Mr Welch added: “Among the Gypsy and travelling communities, he was a big star, who will shine forever in our hearts.”
HUNDREDS of people came to a North-East town for the funeral of a devoted grandfather described as a ‘film star of the Gypsy community’.
Tommy ‘Tucker’ Lee, of Darlington, died on Sunday (January 20) after a long illness. He was 59.
His family, friends and members of the Gypsy and travelling communities came from all over the country to attend his funeral at the Light and Life Mission, in Parkgate.
Community leader Billy Welch, who was Mr Lee’s second cousin, described him as “very well-liked and respected”.
Mr Welch said: “He was a kind-hearted and generous man, who was the life and soul of every single wedding and party he ever went to.
“He was a good-looking fella, a naturally funny, with a great singing voice and film-star looks.
“People were drawn to him, his funeral was a perfect example of how well-loved he was.
“They could not fit everybody in the church, people had to stand outside listening on speakers.
“He has left a very big empty space in everybody’s lives and a massive gap in our community.
“I do not know anybody who has a bad word to say about him.”
At the funeral, moving readings were given by two of Mr Lee’s life-long friends, John Howard and Johnny Ward.
Mr Welch said Mr Lee was proud of his roots as a Romany Gypsy.
Following the service, Mr Lee was buried in Darlington’s West Cemetery.
Mr Welch added: “Among the Gypsy and travelling communities, he was a big star, who will shine forever in our hearts.”
Friday, 25 January 2013
Traveller sites petition begun - Bedfordshire
From Biggleswade Chronicle
Residents have formed an action group to protest against the possible new Gypsy and Traveller sites in this area.
The group has been created by Mark Amps of Sheepwalk Close, some of his neighbours and other interested people.
They believe that no new Gypsy and Traveller sites are needed in Potton, Sandy, Biggleswade, Sutton, Dunton or Wrestlingworth.
They have created a petition, which they will present to Central Beds Council at their next sustainable communities overview and scrutiny committee in February.
They are putting leaflets through doors.
Mark said: “We’ve got sites in our area already. Sixteen of the proposed sites are in the Potton, Sandy and Biggleswade South wards. It doesn’t seem right to me.
“With the one on Bury Hill; it’s a busy road. It will put more traffic on there.”
He also voiced concerns about Potton’s infrastructure.
He said: “They seem to be growing Potton but the infrastructure isn’t growing with it. They are putting more and more things up. What are they doing with the road networks, schools and doctors’ surgeries?”
But he said that if more pitches had to be put in Potton it would be better if they were added to the existing site off Myers Road.
He said: “If they have to go into Potton my preference would be to use the existing site. I think it’s not going to cost the taxpayer as much money whereas if we are starting with a blank field it would cost more for put drainage and sewage. Our council tax will probably go up to pay for that.”
Speaking to the Chronicle last week, Central Beds Councillor Nigel Young, said that to improve integration into the community smaller family sites will be created.
Items on the long list are deemed to be near suitable infrastructure. He added that the pitches were not chosen by wards but there are more possible sites in the north of the county because much of the south is green belt land.
Meanwhile Stotfold Town Council is organising a public meeting to discuss the potential Gypsy and Traveller sites in the town. It will take place at Etonbury Academy in Arlesey on Tuesday (January 29) from 7pm until 9pm.
It will give residents an opportunity to voice their views prior to the town council’s special meeting to formulate a response to Central Beds Council.
Residents have formed an action group to protest against the possible new Gypsy and Traveller sites in this area.
The group has been created by Mark Amps of Sheepwalk Close, some of his neighbours and other interested people.
They believe that no new Gypsy and Traveller sites are needed in Potton, Sandy, Biggleswade, Sutton, Dunton or Wrestlingworth.
They have created a petition, which they will present to Central Beds Council at their next sustainable communities overview and scrutiny committee in February.
They are putting leaflets through doors.
Mark said: “We’ve got sites in our area already. Sixteen of the proposed sites are in the Potton, Sandy and Biggleswade South wards. It doesn’t seem right to me.
“With the one on Bury Hill; it’s a busy road. It will put more traffic on there.”
He also voiced concerns about Potton’s infrastructure.
He said: “They seem to be growing Potton but the infrastructure isn’t growing with it. They are putting more and more things up. What are they doing with the road networks, schools and doctors’ surgeries?”
But he said that if more pitches had to be put in Potton it would be better if they were added to the existing site off Myers Road.
He said: “If they have to go into Potton my preference would be to use the existing site. I think it’s not going to cost the taxpayer as much money whereas if we are starting with a blank field it would cost more for put drainage and sewage. Our council tax will probably go up to pay for that.”
Speaking to the Chronicle last week, Central Beds Councillor Nigel Young, said that to improve integration into the community smaller family sites will be created.
Items on the long list are deemed to be near suitable infrastructure. He added that the pitches were not chosen by wards but there are more possible sites in the north of the county because much of the south is green belt land.
Meanwhile Stotfold Town Council is organising a public meeting to discuss the potential Gypsy and Traveller sites in the town. It will take place at Etonbury Academy in Arlesey on Tuesday (January 29) from 7pm until 9pm.
It will give residents an opportunity to voice their views prior to the town council’s special meeting to formulate a response to Central Beds Council.
'Travellers' site expansion will be a one-off' - Berkshire
From the Twyford Advertiser
Members of Ruscombe Parish Council have said they are confident the go-ahead for expansion of a Travellers site into greenbelt land is a 'one-off that will never be repeated'.
The planning committee of Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) agreed on Wednesday last week to provide four new pitches and extra space for families already on the Twyford Orchards site in London Road.
The move was made to address overcrowding, fire issues and safety for people already living there.
WBC has stressed enforcement action would be taken against any new families who try to move in.
The work will be paid for with £575,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and £825,000 of WBC cash.
A tendering process for the contract will now begin with a view to starting the work as soon as possible and a long-term lease has been secured for the greenbelt land.
Jeremy Hardman, planning chairman for Ruscombe Parish Council, said: "The parish council is confident the development control committtee (DCC) approval of this 'special circumstances' application in the greenbelt is a one-off that will never be repeated."
He added it was encouraging the DCC members endorsed, as a matter of principle, parish councillor's commitment to protecting the greenbelt from inappropriate development.
WBC has also been tasked by the Government to complete a survey that will determine whether it has provided enough pitches for Traveller families across the borough.
Cllr Keith Baker, cabinet member for Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) liaison, stressed the Twyford Orchards expansion was about safety and a separate issue. "The site has to be redesigned to be consistent with current fire rules and regulations," he said.
He added the borough-wide Traveller review would be completed 'imminently'.
"It could be that we need to build 50 pitches, or none at all, but until we get those numbers we can't start identifying potential sites," he said. Cllr Baker stressed that if any new pitches were needed they would most likely be built in the south of the borough.
Members of Ruscombe Parish Council have said they are confident the go-ahead for expansion of a Travellers site into greenbelt land is a 'one-off that will never be repeated'.
The planning committee of Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) agreed on Wednesday last week to provide four new pitches and extra space for families already on the Twyford Orchards site in London Road.
The move was made to address overcrowding, fire issues and safety for people already living there.
WBC has stressed enforcement action would be taken against any new families who try to move in.
The work will be paid for with £575,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and £825,000 of WBC cash.
A tendering process for the contract will now begin with a view to starting the work as soon as possible and a long-term lease has been secured for the greenbelt land.
Jeremy Hardman, planning chairman for Ruscombe Parish Council, said: "The parish council is confident the development control committtee (DCC) approval of this 'special circumstances' application in the greenbelt is a one-off that will never be repeated."
He added it was encouraging the DCC members endorsed, as a matter of principle, parish councillor's commitment to protecting the greenbelt from inappropriate development.
WBC has also been tasked by the Government to complete a survey that will determine whether it has provided enough pitches for Traveller families across the borough.
Cllr Keith Baker, cabinet member for Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) liaison, stressed the Twyford Orchards expansion was about safety and a separate issue. "The site has to be redesigned to be consistent with current fire rules and regulations," he said.
He added the borough-wide Traveller review would be completed 'imminently'.
"It could be that we need to build 50 pitches, or none at all, but until we get those numbers we can't start identifying potential sites," he said. Cllr Baker stressed that if any new pitches were needed they would most likely be built in the south of the borough.
Leeds-Wakefield border Traveller site plan set for go-ahead - Yorkshire
From the Yorkshire Evening Post
Controversial plans for a Traveller camp on the Leeds-Wakefield border have been recommended for approval, despite more than 1,200 objections.
Wakefield Council’s planning and highway’s committee is being urged to approve plans for a 10-pitch site on grazing land at Castle Gate, Stanley, next to the M62.
Originally submitted to the council last year, the proposals led to around 200 residents gathering at a joint community meeting opposing the idea in March.
Objections from councillors and residents argued the site would destroy green belt land and would put occupants of the site and drivers at risk due to its close proximity to the motorway.
Stanley Action Group member Vikki Stansfield, who lives just yards from the land, said: “As a group we are very disappointed that the planning officer has recommended the approval, there seems to be no regard to the valid objections received.”
She said the argument that the plans should be approved due to Wakefield’s lack of traveller sites does not stand up as the council is looking for a new site.
The application, which includes building permanent pitches, landscaping and utility rooms was amended last year to include provision for an on-site warden, a limitation to parking and rules on complaints and evictions.
Justin Coley, from Carlton Village Residents Association, said: “It appears that Wakefield Council are bowing to the wants of a minority rather than the needs of the local majority, which is to protect our local community, infrastructure and our greenbelt heritage.”
Coun Karen Bruce (Lab, Rothwell) said: “It seems people’s concerns have been totally ignored, which is really frustrating.”
In 2009 there was an estimated shortfall of 86 Traveller pitches in West Yorkshire and a plan to find a suitable site for travellers, adopted by the council last year, is still in its early stages.
The planning report stated: “It is clearly recognised that the scale and layout of the site would diminish the openness of the greenbelt and therefore be materially harmful in this respect.
“However, there are very special circumstances which would apply in this instance.” The landowner wished not to comment. The decision will be made at a meeting at County Hall, in Wakefield, next Thursday (Jan 31) at 10.30am.
Controversial plans for a Traveller camp on the Leeds-Wakefield border have been recommended for approval, despite more than 1,200 objections.
Wakefield Council’s planning and highway’s committee is being urged to approve plans for a 10-pitch site on grazing land at Castle Gate, Stanley, next to the M62.
Originally submitted to the council last year, the proposals led to around 200 residents gathering at a joint community meeting opposing the idea in March.
Objections from councillors and residents argued the site would destroy green belt land and would put occupants of the site and drivers at risk due to its close proximity to the motorway.
Stanley Action Group member Vikki Stansfield, who lives just yards from the land, said: “As a group we are very disappointed that the planning officer has recommended the approval, there seems to be no regard to the valid objections received.”
She said the argument that the plans should be approved due to Wakefield’s lack of traveller sites does not stand up as the council is looking for a new site.
The application, which includes building permanent pitches, landscaping and utility rooms was amended last year to include provision for an on-site warden, a limitation to parking and rules on complaints and evictions.
Justin Coley, from Carlton Village Residents Association, said: “It appears that Wakefield Council are bowing to the wants of a minority rather than the needs of the local majority, which is to protect our local community, infrastructure and our greenbelt heritage.”
Coun Karen Bruce (Lab, Rothwell) said: “It seems people’s concerns have been totally ignored, which is really frustrating.”
In 2009 there was an estimated shortfall of 86 Traveller pitches in West Yorkshire and a plan to find a suitable site for travellers, adopted by the council last year, is still in its early stages.
The planning report stated: “It is clearly recognised that the scale and layout of the site would diminish the openness of the greenbelt and therefore be materially harmful in this respect.
“However, there are very special circumstances which would apply in this instance.” The landowner wished not to comment. The decision will be made at a meeting at County Hall, in Wakefield, next Thursday (Jan 31) at 10.30am.
Travellers set up camp in Dorchester car park - Dorset
From the Dorset Echo
TRAVELLERS have moved on to a busy Dorchester car park. The group moved on the Fairfield car park last night and are expected to leave tomorrow.
West Dorset District Council, which owns the popular parking spot for Dorchester workers, has been liaising with the group.
Dorset Police said it would assist on Monday if the group have not left.
see also: Wessex FM - Travellers Have Until Monday to Leave Dorchester Market Car Park
TRAVELLERS have moved on to a busy Dorchester car park. The group moved on the Fairfield car park last night and are expected to leave tomorrow.
West Dorset District Council, which owns the popular parking spot for Dorchester workers, has been liaising with the group.
Dorset Police said it would assist on Monday if the group have not left.
see also: Wessex FM - Travellers Have Until Monday to Leave Dorchester Market Car Park
Green light given for planning applications to be made for a new Travellers' site in Datchet - Berkshire
From the Windsor Observer
THE Royal Borough has given the green light for planning applications to be made for a new Travellers' site in Datchet.
At a well-attended cabinet meeting on Thursday (24/1) held in the Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead, councillors agreed to note the possibility of a new Travellers' site at Mill Place, Datchet and open it up to the planning process to decide if it was a suitable site or not.
Councillors were keen to point out this was not an endorsement for a Travellers' site to be built at the location, but a move to allow the decision to be made by the planning process.
Councillor Michael Saunders, lead member for planning and property, said: "We are not encouraging the site, we are not building a site. We are proceeding as I would like to think our residents would expect us to proceed which is for the due planning process to consider the issue should any application be forthcoming."
More than 50 people attended the meeting with seven speakers including James Wilson of the Datchet Common Community Group- lead petitioner against the site with a petition of 779 signatures, Thomas Giles- lead petitioner in favour of the site with 204 signatures- as well as residents and Travellers in Datchet and flooding experts.
Those in favour noted the need for extra pitches in the area for Traveller families with those against believing the highlighted area was subject to intense flood risk.
Councillors also agreed to recognise the need for 21 additional pitches to be found in the Royal Borough by 2017 and a further 13 by 2027 with seven needed in the Datchet area by 2017 and 13 by 2027.
As a result, cabinet also agreed to continue to search for further suitable Travellers' sites elsewhere in the Royal Borough while consulting with relevant stakeholders including parish councils, neighbourhood plans and the traveller community.
THE Royal Borough has given the green light for planning applications to be made for a new Travellers' site in Datchet.
At a well-attended cabinet meeting on Thursday (24/1) held in the Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead, councillors agreed to note the possibility of a new Travellers' site at Mill Place, Datchet and open it up to the planning process to decide if it was a suitable site or not.
Councillors were keen to point out this was not an endorsement for a Travellers' site to be built at the location, but a move to allow the decision to be made by the planning process.
Councillor Michael Saunders, lead member for planning and property, said: "We are not encouraging the site, we are not building a site. We are proceeding as I would like to think our residents would expect us to proceed which is for the due planning process to consider the issue should any application be forthcoming."
More than 50 people attended the meeting with seven speakers including James Wilson of the Datchet Common Community Group- lead petitioner against the site with a petition of 779 signatures, Thomas Giles- lead petitioner in favour of the site with 204 signatures- as well as residents and Travellers in Datchet and flooding experts.
Those in favour noted the need for extra pitches in the area for Traveller families with those against believing the highlighted area was subject to intense flood risk.
Councillors also agreed to recognise the need for 21 additional pitches to be found in the Royal Borough by 2017 and a further 13 by 2027 with seven needed in the Datchet area by 2017 and 13 by 2027.
As a result, cabinet also agreed to continue to search for further suitable Travellers' sites elsewhere in the Royal Borough while consulting with relevant stakeholders including parish councils, neighbourhood plans and the traveller community.
Planning process the proper democratic route for Datchet Travellers' site - Berkshire
From rbwm.gov.uk
Any proposal for a second Travellers' site in Datchet must be dealt with through the open and democratic planning process with full public consultation.
That was the clear message from the Royal Borough's cabinet last night (Thursday) when Cllr MJ Saunders spelled out that the council was determined to ensure any proposal for the privately owned land off Mill Place would be dealt with in the proper way.
Cllr Saunders, cabinet member for planning and property, said: "There are extremely complex issues involved, not least the potential flood risk to the site and the fact that it is in the Green Belt. That's why the due planning process must be allowed to take its course if or when a planning application is received."
The cabinet meeting heard from Datchet residents both objecting to and in support of a travellers' site on the land.
Cllr Saunders said: "We appreciate the strength of feeling on both sides, following the council's own wide-ranging consultation and public meeting at the end of last year.
"Unfortunately, there have been a number of inaccurate reports about where the council stands on the matter. It is important for residents to know that we are not promoting or encouraging a planning application for this site. Neither are we building a travellers' site ourselves - it is not our land.
"However, the council has a statutory duty to identify the needs of the travelling community in our borough and to explore site possibilities. That's why we mounted a full consultation on Mill Place. Now it is entirely a matter for the site owner to decide if he wishes to submit a planning application - and, if so, it will be subject to the rigorous planning process with opportunity for everyone to submit their views and for a considered decision to be taken."
Cabinet also heard the results of the travellers' accommodation needs assessment for the Royal Borough, carried out by an independent company on the council's behalf. Consequently, cabinet will seek to give priority to the needs of the established traveller community in the borough for an additional seven Traveller pitches up to 2017 and a further 13 up to 2027.
Cllr David Burbage, leader of the council, said: "Cabinet's decision on Datchet is entirely appropriate and it reflects the council's determination to be absolutely fair and transparent in relation to the often sensitive issue of site provision for travellers.
"This approach includes support for residents anywhere there are unauthorised encampments. As the council has demonstrated in the past - and is continuing to demonstrate at Shurlock Road, Waltham St Lawrence - we are diligent and determined to seek and act upon the legal enforcement available."
Any proposal for a second Travellers' site in Datchet must be dealt with through the open and democratic planning process with full public consultation.
That was the clear message from the Royal Borough's cabinet last night (Thursday) when Cllr MJ Saunders spelled out that the council was determined to ensure any proposal for the privately owned land off Mill Place would be dealt with in the proper way.
Cllr Saunders, cabinet member for planning and property, said: "There are extremely complex issues involved, not least the potential flood risk to the site and the fact that it is in the Green Belt. That's why the due planning process must be allowed to take its course if or when a planning application is received."
The cabinet meeting heard from Datchet residents both objecting to and in support of a travellers' site on the land.
Cllr Saunders said: "We appreciate the strength of feeling on both sides, following the council's own wide-ranging consultation and public meeting at the end of last year.
"Unfortunately, there have been a number of inaccurate reports about where the council stands on the matter. It is important for residents to know that we are not promoting or encouraging a planning application for this site. Neither are we building a travellers' site ourselves - it is not our land.
"However, the council has a statutory duty to identify the needs of the travelling community in our borough and to explore site possibilities. That's why we mounted a full consultation on Mill Place. Now it is entirely a matter for the site owner to decide if he wishes to submit a planning application - and, if so, it will be subject to the rigorous planning process with opportunity for everyone to submit their views and for a considered decision to be taken."
Cabinet also heard the results of the travellers' accommodation needs assessment for the Royal Borough, carried out by an independent company on the council's behalf. Consequently, cabinet will seek to give priority to the needs of the established traveller community in the borough for an additional seven Traveller pitches up to 2017 and a further 13 up to 2027.
Cllr David Burbage, leader of the council, said: "Cabinet's decision on Datchet is entirely appropriate and it reflects the council's determination to be absolutely fair and transparent in relation to the often sensitive issue of site provision for travellers.
"This approach includes support for residents anywhere there are unauthorised encampments. As the council has demonstrated in the past - and is continuing to demonstrate at Shurlock Road, Waltham St Lawrence - we are diligent and determined to seek and act upon the legal enforcement available."
Gypsy site rebels talk to Sir Peter - Leicestershire
From the Leicester Mercury
Sir Peter Soulsby's controversial decision to develop two Travellers' sites in Leicester was due to be challenged last night by councillors from his own party.
A debate was to be held at last night's council meeting on the mayor's plans for council- controlled pitches in Red Hill Way, Mowmacre Hill, and Greengate Lane, Beaumont Leys.
A group of five Labour councillors representing the Abbey and Beaumont Leys wards officially challenged Sir Peter's contentious decision by using "call in" rules to try to get him to rethink the move, which he had been set to personally sign off.
It is the first time one of Sir Peter's decisions has been formally challenged by the city Labour group since he was elected in May 2010.
He was due to listen to the views of the rebel councillors before deciding whether or not to stick with his original plan.
see also: This Is Leicestershire - Sir Peter Soulsby sees off Labour challenge on Leicester Travellers' sites
Sir Peter Soulsby's controversial decision to develop two Travellers' sites in Leicester was due to be challenged last night by councillors from his own party.
A debate was to be held at last night's council meeting on the mayor's plans for council- controlled pitches in Red Hill Way, Mowmacre Hill, and Greengate Lane, Beaumont Leys.
A group of five Labour councillors representing the Abbey and Beaumont Leys wards officially challenged Sir Peter's contentious decision by using "call in" rules to try to get him to rethink the move, which he had been set to personally sign off.
It is the first time one of Sir Peter's decisions has been formally challenged by the city Labour group since he was elected in May 2010.
He was due to listen to the views of the rebel councillors before deciding whether or not to stick with his original plan.
see also: This Is Leicestershire - Sir Peter Soulsby sees off Labour challenge on Leicester Travellers' sites
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Travellers' site up for discussion at cabinet - Berkshire
From the Slough and South Bucks Observer
COUNCILLORS will rule tonight on whether plans for a contentious Travellers' site should be allowed to progress.
The proposed site, in Mill Place, Datchet, is on the agenda for tonight's Royal Borough cabinet meeting at Town Hall, in St Ives Road, Maidenhead, at 7.30pm.
Councillors will decide whether to drop the site from the consultation to find new Traveller accommodation or allow a planning application to be submitted.
A report by Royal Borough officers recommends the site be tested by a planning application.
Two conflicting petitions on the site have attracted nearly 1,000 responses.
The e-petition against, led by James Wilson of the Datchet Common Community Group, has been supported by 779 names.
The petition for, led by Thomas Giles, has received 204 signatures.
Cllr Ian Thompson, Datchet Parish Council's flooding spokesman, will also give a presentation outlining the flood risk on the common.
The proposed development will be built on flood plain and green belt land, but officers recommend priority be given to finding Travellers new accommodation.
The Royal Borough's Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment, conducted in September 2012, acknowledged the need for nine additional Traveller pitches over the next five years, plus a possible two additional pitches in respect of pitches with temporary permission that will expire within the next two years.
The assessment also identified the need for a further 13 Traveller pitches in the Royal Borough over the following ten years.
Cabinet is also due to discuss a petition to reduce the speed limit in Forest Green Road, Maidenhead, from 60mph to 40mph.
COUNCILLORS will rule tonight on whether plans for a contentious Travellers' site should be allowed to progress.
The proposed site, in Mill Place, Datchet, is on the agenda for tonight's Royal Borough cabinet meeting at Town Hall, in St Ives Road, Maidenhead, at 7.30pm.
Councillors will decide whether to drop the site from the consultation to find new Traveller accommodation or allow a planning application to be submitted.
A report by Royal Borough officers recommends the site be tested by a planning application.
Two conflicting petitions on the site have attracted nearly 1,000 responses.
The e-petition against, led by James Wilson of the Datchet Common Community Group, has been supported by 779 names.
The petition for, led by Thomas Giles, has received 204 signatures.
Cllr Ian Thompson, Datchet Parish Council's flooding spokesman, will also give a presentation outlining the flood risk on the common.
The proposed development will be built on flood plain and green belt land, but officers recommend priority be given to finding Travellers new accommodation.
The Royal Borough's Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment, conducted in September 2012, acknowledged the need for nine additional Traveller pitches over the next five years, plus a possible two additional pitches in respect of pitches with temporary permission that will expire within the next two years.
The assessment also identified the need for a further 13 Traveller pitches in the Royal Borough over the following ten years.
Cabinet is also due to discuss a petition to reduce the speed limit in Forest Green Road, Maidenhead, from 60mph to 40mph.
Date change for Gypsy and Traveller site meeting - Bedfordshire
From Luton Today
A public meeting to discuss a potential Gypsy and Traveller site in Harlington has been brought forward.
The meeting, originally scheduled for February 18, but will now take place on Wednesday, January 30, in the theatre at Harlington Upper School.
The site, in Westoning Road, has been included in Central Bedfordshire Council’s long list of potential new sites for Gypsies and Travellers.
A shortlist of sites will be decided at a meeting of the Central Beds sustainable communities overview and scrutiny group on February 28. That meeting will take place in the council chamber at Priory House in Shefford, starting at 10.30am.
For more information visit the Harlington Parish Council website: http://harlington.bedsparishes.gov.uk/proposed-gypsy-traveller-sit/
A public meeting to discuss a potential Gypsy and Traveller site in Harlington has been brought forward.
The meeting, originally scheduled for February 18, but will now take place on Wednesday, January 30, in the theatre at Harlington Upper School.
The site, in Westoning Road, has been included in Central Bedfordshire Council’s long list of potential new sites for Gypsies and Travellers.
A shortlist of sites will be decided at a meeting of the Central Beds sustainable communities overview and scrutiny group on February 28. That meeting will take place in the council chamber at Priory House in Shefford, starting at 10.30am.
For more information visit the Harlington Parish Council website: http://harlington.bedsparishes.gov.uk/proposed-gypsy-traveller-sit/
Travellers spotted in Taunton car park - Somerset
From he Falmouth Packet
DOZENS of caravans have turned up at a car park in Taunton.
The caravans arrived on Wednesday.
Travellers were seen parking up in the car park on Priory Bridge Road, behind the new Viridor building, yesterday (January 23).
A spokesman at Taunton Deane Council said: "We have spoken to the Travellers to find out why they're here.
"We are following the proper legal processes to regain possession and we understand concerns residents might have about them being in the area."
DOZENS of caravans have turned up at a car park in Taunton.
The caravans arrived on Wednesday.
Travellers were seen parking up in the car park on Priory Bridge Road, behind the new Viridor building, yesterday (January 23).
A spokesman at Taunton Deane Council said: "We have spoken to the Travellers to find out why they're here.
"We are following the proper legal processes to regain possession and we understand concerns residents might have about them being in the area."
Flintshire calls for more help accommodation Travellers and Gypsies from neighbouring counties
From the Flintshire Chronicle
COUNTY councillors want neighbouring authorities to do more to cater for Gypsies after it was revealed more than half of Traveller provision in North Wales is in Flintshire.
The county currently provides 58% of all caravan pitches for Travellers across the region – with more in the pipeline.
And members of Flintshire County Council’s cabinet say it is time for the region’s other council to step up.
A study by Bangor University found 91% of all North Wales Gypsy and Traveller provision was in Flintshire and Wrexham, and neither Denbighshire or Conwy has any authorised sites.
Deputy council leader Bernie Attridge said: “Flintshire is the most significant provider [of Gypsy facilities].
“Other North Wales authorities have to have their fair share, it shouldn’t just be left to Flintshire and Wrexham.”
Sealand and Queensferry councillor Chris Jones said it was ‘unfair’ Flintshire is currently accommodating the majority of Travellers when some counties do not cater for them at all.
“Others have got to realise they’ve got to have their own sites – Flintshire has got its quota,” she added.
Welsh Government guidance urges councils ‘to work in a regional capacity and share a legal, moral and financial responsibility to address the accommodation inequality experienced by the Gypsy and Traveller community’.
There are currently authorised sites in Bagillt, Gwespyr, Hope, Queensferry, Sandycroft.
The only council-owned one – Riverside Park in Queensferry – could soon be doubled in size to accommodate a total of 40 Gypsy families.
Plans for another private site on Magazine Lane in Ewloe were thrown out last summer.
Cllr Jones said that as long as other authorities fail to act, applications for private Gypsy sites in Flintshire would continue to be submitted.
She added: “Our neighbours aren’t playing ball. We’ve done our bit, they should be helping us out.”
Cllr Helen Brown said the county ‘has got quite enough’ Gypsy sites.
According to the most recent figures Flintshire accommodates at least 66 Traveller caravans. Wrexham has 33% of the overall North Wales provision, while the remaining counties offer just 10 caravan berths between them.
Cllr Dave Wisinger, who has two Gypsy sites in his ward, said: “It’s a very tricky thing putting Traveller sites anywhere because we know people get emotional over them and it causes lots of trouble, but we’ve got no option.
“Flintshire is dealing with the problem and other counties will have to get to grips with it, it can’t be brushed under the carpet.”
COUNTY councillors want neighbouring authorities to do more to cater for Gypsies after it was revealed more than half of Traveller provision in North Wales is in Flintshire.
The county currently provides 58% of all caravan pitches for Travellers across the region – with more in the pipeline.
And members of Flintshire County Council’s cabinet say it is time for the region’s other council to step up.
A study by Bangor University found 91% of all North Wales Gypsy and Traveller provision was in Flintshire and Wrexham, and neither Denbighshire or Conwy has any authorised sites.
Deputy council leader Bernie Attridge said: “Flintshire is the most significant provider [of Gypsy facilities].
“Other North Wales authorities have to have their fair share, it shouldn’t just be left to Flintshire and Wrexham.”
Sealand and Queensferry councillor Chris Jones said it was ‘unfair’ Flintshire is currently accommodating the majority of Travellers when some counties do not cater for them at all.
“Others have got to realise they’ve got to have their own sites – Flintshire has got its quota,” she added.
Welsh Government guidance urges councils ‘to work in a regional capacity and share a legal, moral and financial responsibility to address the accommodation inequality experienced by the Gypsy and Traveller community’.
There are currently authorised sites in Bagillt, Gwespyr, Hope, Queensferry, Sandycroft.
The only council-owned one – Riverside Park in Queensferry – could soon be doubled in size to accommodate a total of 40 Gypsy families.
Plans for another private site on Magazine Lane in Ewloe were thrown out last summer.
Cllr Jones said that as long as other authorities fail to act, applications for private Gypsy sites in Flintshire would continue to be submitted.
She added: “Our neighbours aren’t playing ball. We’ve done our bit, they should be helping us out.”
Cllr Helen Brown said the county ‘has got quite enough’ Gypsy sites.
According to the most recent figures Flintshire accommodates at least 66 Traveller caravans. Wrexham has 33% of the overall North Wales provision, while the remaining counties offer just 10 caravan berths between them.
Cllr Dave Wisinger, who has two Gypsy sites in his ward, said: “It’s a very tricky thing putting Traveller sites anywhere because we know people get emotional over them and it causes lots of trouble, but we’ve got no option.
“Flintshire is dealing with the problem and other counties will have to get to grips with it, it can’t be brushed under the carpet.”
Meriden Gypsy site protests: 1000 days on - Warwickshire
From ITV
Thursday 24th January 2013 - a thousand days on since green belt protesters began campaigning against an illegal Gypsy site in Warwickshire.
Despite recent record levels of snowfall and floods in the area, protesters have maintained their non stop vigil to protest against the site.
Back in April 2010, 8 families in 17 caravans moved onto green belt land without planning permission. After illegally bulldozing the land, the Gypsies have since lost all of their bids for approval in a battle with locals and the council.
In March last year, Gypsies controlling the site lost a High Court battle and have to leave the site by March 31st 2013.
We will continue our fight until the green belt is restored.
– Mr McGrath, Chairman of protest group, Residents Against Inappropriate Development (raid)
see alao: The Birmingham Mail - “I’m not doing it for me. I’m heading for the exit door of this life, not the entrance. I’m doing it for my grandchildren.”
The Daily Mail - Villagers mark 1,000 days of continuous protest against illegal Gypsy camp which has blighted greenbelt land
Thursday 24th January 2013 - a thousand days on since green belt protesters began campaigning against an illegal Gypsy site in Warwickshire.
Despite recent record levels of snowfall and floods in the area, protesters have maintained their non stop vigil to protest against the site.
Back in April 2010, 8 families in 17 caravans moved onto green belt land without planning permission. After illegally bulldozing the land, the Gypsies have since lost all of their bids for approval in a battle with locals and the council.
In March last year, Gypsies controlling the site lost a High Court battle and have to leave the site by March 31st 2013.
We will continue our fight until the green belt is restored.
– Mr McGrath, Chairman of protest group, Residents Against Inappropriate Development (raid)
see alao: The Birmingham Mail - “I’m not doing it for me. I’m heading for the exit door of this life, not the entrance. I’m doing it for my grandchildren.”
The Daily Mail - Villagers mark 1,000 days of continuous protest against illegal Gypsy camp which has blighted greenbelt land
Public anger results in meeting for Gypsy plan - Bedfordshire
From Bedford Today
A public meeting has been called to discuss the possibility of five Gypsy and Traveller pitches being created in a small village.
Maulden Parish Council is holding the meeting on Monday evening, after the site was listed in Central Beds Council’s Gypsy and Traveller local Plan as a potential site. on New Road.
Some residents have hit out at the local authority, who has a legal requirement to find provision for gypsies and travellers.
They say that nobody in the village even knew the site was on the list until the day before the overview and scrutiny committee meeting, held last Thursday, where the plan was discussed.
On resident, who asked not to be named, said: “We didn’t even know about this until the day before the meeting last week. As soon as we found out we called the parish council and they said they had only known for a couple of days.
“I was born and bred here and slowly I have seen us lose our local amenities. Our school is already oversubscribed and they want to build five pitches here.
“The village just isn’t big enough. I feel that there should have been consultation before the list was drawn up. We’re not even going to be able to object until quite a few months down the line.
“But we want to be able to do something now. I am also really shocked that there are still a lot of people in the village who don’t even know about this. If this happens it is really going to affect Maulden so I think it’s right everyone knows about it.”
“I am trying to get the word out and I want as many people as possible to come to the meeting.”
The plan was discussed at a meeting of Central Beds’ Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday where the public packed out the council chamber,
However, it was the just the plan that was discussed not individual sites. The Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan will be discussed by the executive committee in March and by the full council in April. There will then be a public consultation starting in May.
Members of the public objected to there being more proposed sites in the north of the county than in the south, although Councillor Nigel Young responded that at present there is a 60/40 split with more pitches in the south.
A spokesman for Central Beds Council said: “There was a call for sites that ended in April 2012. After insufficient locations were put forward by landowners, developers or interested parties, the council looked for extra land it owned for possible sites.
“All of these sites had assessment criteria applied to them which led to the long list of possible sites being drawn up.”
The council has a statutory duty to provide Gypsy and TTraveller pitches. Over the next 20 years, the period which this plan will cover, the council will need to provide an extra 135 pitches.
A pitch consists of a static mobile home, a touring caravan, an amenities block and often a shed. There is also room to park and room for visitors to park.
The public meeting is taking place on Monday at 7.30pm at Maulden Village Hall. All are invited to attend to discuss the proposed Gypsy and Traveller site.
A public meeting has been called to discuss the possibility of five Gypsy and Traveller pitches being created in a small village.
Maulden Parish Council is holding the meeting on Monday evening, after the site was listed in Central Beds Council’s Gypsy and Traveller local Plan as a potential site. on New Road.
Some residents have hit out at the local authority, who has a legal requirement to find provision for gypsies and travellers.
They say that nobody in the village even knew the site was on the list until the day before the overview and scrutiny committee meeting, held last Thursday, where the plan was discussed.
On resident, who asked not to be named, said: “We didn’t even know about this until the day before the meeting last week. As soon as we found out we called the parish council and they said they had only known for a couple of days.
“I was born and bred here and slowly I have seen us lose our local amenities. Our school is already oversubscribed and they want to build five pitches here.
“The village just isn’t big enough. I feel that there should have been consultation before the list was drawn up. We’re not even going to be able to object until quite a few months down the line.
“But we want to be able to do something now. I am also really shocked that there are still a lot of people in the village who don’t even know about this. If this happens it is really going to affect Maulden so I think it’s right everyone knows about it.”
“I am trying to get the word out and I want as many people as possible to come to the meeting.”
The plan was discussed at a meeting of Central Beds’ Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday where the public packed out the council chamber,
However, it was the just the plan that was discussed not individual sites. The Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan will be discussed by the executive committee in March and by the full council in April. There will then be a public consultation starting in May.
Members of the public objected to there being more proposed sites in the north of the county than in the south, although Councillor Nigel Young responded that at present there is a 60/40 split with more pitches in the south.
A spokesman for Central Beds Council said: “There was a call for sites that ended in April 2012. After insufficient locations were put forward by landowners, developers or interested parties, the council looked for extra land it owned for possible sites.
“All of these sites had assessment criteria applied to them which led to the long list of possible sites being drawn up.”
The council has a statutory duty to provide Gypsy and TTraveller pitches. Over the next 20 years, the period which this plan will cover, the council will need to provide an extra 135 pitches.
A pitch consists of a static mobile home, a touring caravan, an amenities block and often a shed. There is also room to park and room for visitors to park.
The public meeting is taking place on Monday at 7.30pm at Maulden Village Hall. All are invited to attend to discuss the proposed Gypsy and Traveller site.
Call For Travellers Sites - Yorkshire
From Hambleton District Council
An action plan to meet the need for Travellers' pitches in Hambleton is being drawn up.
A recent study undertaken for the District Council identified that 26 pitches - 11 public and 15 private - would be needed over the next 15 years. Of those nine private and two public pitches are needed by 2017.
An earlier study of Showmen’s yard requirements identified that about ten plots would be needed in the district by 2019 – those plots have not yet been provided.
Now the authority is looking to landowners and their agents, Parish Councils and the Traveller community to help identify and put forward sites they think might be suitable to meet these needs. These will be assessed by the Council against its policies with a view to inviting planning applications for suitable sites.
"The Council needs to be more proactive in dealing with current problems at several unauthorised Gypsy sites in the district," said Councillor Mark Robson, Portfolio Holder for Planning.
"The key to this is planning for new pitch provision in more appropriate locations. As with other forms of housing, the Government expects Councils to provide adequate suitable sites to meet established local housing needs from Travellers and it is essential that we act to find suitable sites as quickly as possible. The Council is also investigating providing public sites in conjunction with delivery partners."
He said sites should not harm the amenity of existing residents, be close to a town or large village with good access to a range of local services such as a school and shop, have good highway access and avoid protected sensitive areas.
Submitted sites will be fully assessed against planning policies and government guidelines
Anyone with a potential suitable site should call Amanda Madden on 01609 767048 or email Amanda.madden@hambleton.gov.uk
An action plan to meet the need for Travellers' pitches in Hambleton is being drawn up.
A recent study undertaken for the District Council identified that 26 pitches - 11 public and 15 private - would be needed over the next 15 years. Of those nine private and two public pitches are needed by 2017.
An earlier study of Showmen’s yard requirements identified that about ten plots would be needed in the district by 2019 – those plots have not yet been provided.
Now the authority is looking to landowners and their agents, Parish Councils and the Traveller community to help identify and put forward sites they think might be suitable to meet these needs. These will be assessed by the Council against its policies with a view to inviting planning applications for suitable sites.
"The Council needs to be more proactive in dealing with current problems at several unauthorised Gypsy sites in the district," said Councillor Mark Robson, Portfolio Holder for Planning.
"The key to this is planning for new pitch provision in more appropriate locations. As with other forms of housing, the Government expects Councils to provide adequate suitable sites to meet established local housing needs from Travellers and it is essential that we act to find suitable sites as quickly as possible. The Council is also investigating providing public sites in conjunction with delivery partners."
He said sites should not harm the amenity of existing residents, be close to a town or large village with good access to a range of local services such as a school and shop, have good highway access and avoid protected sensitive areas.
Submitted sites will be fully assessed against planning policies and government guidelines
Anyone with a potential suitable site should call Amanda Madden on 01609 767048 or email Amanda.madden@hambleton.gov.uk
Donegal Travellers project make ‘incitement to hatred’ complaints against Cllrs - Ireland
From Highland Radio
The Donegal Travellers project has confirmed it has now lodged a complaint with gardai over a councillor’s recent comments and a second complaint will be lodged against a second councillor in the coming days.
The complaint has been made under incitement to hatred against Councillor Sean McEniff.
He objected to the council’s preparations to give a house in an upmarket country area to a family of 13 travellers in stated that Travellers should live in isolation on their own away from settled people.
A complaint has been lodged and the Travellers Project has confirmed a complaint will also be made against Ballyshannon town councillor Eugene Dolan who said, as far as he is concerned, Travellers can be sent to Spike Island:
Hugh Friel is a spokesperson for the project:
Meanwhile the Donegal Democrat reports that Councillor Barry O’Neill is considering a legal challenge against the Council to award the house to the Traveller Family.
He says the purchase of the house is extortionate to say the least.
The Donegal Travellers project has confirmed it has now lodged a complaint with gardai over a councillor’s recent comments and a second complaint will be lodged against a second councillor in the coming days.
The complaint has been made under incitement to hatred against Councillor Sean McEniff.
He objected to the council’s preparations to give a house in an upmarket country area to a family of 13 travellers in stated that Travellers should live in isolation on their own away from settled people.
A complaint has been lodged and the Travellers Project has confirmed a complaint will also be made against Ballyshannon town councillor Eugene Dolan who said, as far as he is concerned, Travellers can be sent to Spike Island:
Hugh Friel is a spokesperson for the project:
Meanwhile the Donegal Democrat reports that Councillor Barry O’Neill is considering a legal challenge against the Council to award the house to the Traveller Family.
He says the purchase of the house is extortionate to say the least.
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