Council should 'bite the bullet' over unpopular Gypsy pitch proposals - Surrey

From Get Surrey

The number of Traveller sites provided in Guildford will have to more than double in the next five years.

A Guildford Borough Council assessment highlights a significant shortage of sites for both Traveller and travelling Showpeople plots.

There are currently 30 pitches owned by the council available but, according to detailed analysis of needs figures and projections, another 43 will be required by 2017.

A further 14 sites will be needed between 2017 and 2022, with 16 more expected to be required between 2022 and 2027.

A total of 78 Traveller households are currently on the council’s waiting list for public pitches, leading to concerns that the borough will struggle to keep up with demand and therefore prompt more illegal encampments.

Gypsy and Surrey Traveller Forum member Hilda Brazil said she doubts the council will provide "anywhere close" to the number of sites required.

“They have failed to meet the provision for years and now suddenly they have to be shown to hit a target, so they have come up with such a tiny figure of estimated need so that they can tick the box,” she said. “The Gypsy and Traveller community is one of the largest minority communities in Surrey. The idea that these estimates will meet the actual demand is ridiculous.”

Gypsy liaison officer John Hockley agreed that councillors will have to "bite the bullet" when residents oppose pitch proposals.

“Obviously as we are seeing time and time again, the possibility of a new Traveller pitch is not a popular choice among the public,” he said. “When you look at it, the treatment of the Traveller community is one of the last bastions of racism. The levels of misinformation, hate and disrespect that you see directed at Travellers, from usually very intelligent and measured people, is shocking.

“Once the council starts meeting the requirements there will be a subsequent drop in the number of illegal campsites, which cause a lot of friction and damage the dialogue further. But these people need somewhere to go.”

Guildford Borough Councillor Monika Juneja admitted that the council could fail to meet its target, but said it would strive to "break down boundaries" between communities.

She said: “We know that Traveller sites are not a vote winner, but there is a separation of populations which is unnecessary and built on misunderstanding.

“We know that we need those sites. We are calling on members of the Traveller community to offer up land, because we have a shortage of land. However we need to help them have more faith in the system.

“These are not Travellers coming from elsewhere to settle. These are Guildford people who just want somewhere to live and that is what we will strive to provide for them. We just have to ensure that we do so in a way that is also acceptable to those people who live in bricks and mortar households."