From Get Bucks
One hundred and fifty residents gather to have their say about possible impact on the village
ABOUT 150 people gathered in protest last night over a potential Travellers' site coming to their village.
The land in dispute - The Lagger in Chalfont St Giles - is one of 12 locations across Chilltern marked for possible gypsies, Travellers and travelling showpeople sites by Chiltern District Council.
It comes from a government directive telling each council in England and Wales to find extra sites. Consultants found possible locations in the district which need to be created in the next five years.
Villagers threw questions at Chalfont St Giles Parish Council chairman Bill Warren and other crowd members in The Garden Room, School Lane, to try and find how best to battle the proposition.
One concerned villager, Tony O'Neil from The Lagger, spent most of his time since the news was announced on Monday creating leaflets and gaining advice on how to make sure the village avoids the site.
He raised fears of impacts on health services, population, drainage and the use of green belt land for this purpose. At the meeting he announced a new group - CSG Residents Against Inappropriate Development (RAID) - which will channel people's opposition to the suggestion.
A map showing all the possible locations has been drawn up with sites including areas near Chalfont St Peter, Chalfont St Giles, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Chesham and Holmer Green. The public have six weeks to share their views before a decision is made.
These people need to live somewhere, Chalfont St Giles is as good as anywhere and hopefully it will bring down the house prices to an affordable level.
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