‘Cooperative’ Travellers are ordered to move on from Broxden Park and Ride - Perthshire

From the Courier

Travellers will be asked to move out of a site on the outskirts of Perth following legal action by the council.

The group, including some children, arrived at an “unauthorised Gypsy/Traveller“ encampment with eight caravans at the Broxden Park and Ride, Perth, on Wednesday.

A Travelling community was told to leave the same site in October last year.

The Courier has established that the site has been visited by a Gypsy/Traveller liaison officer, Perth and Kinross Council’s environmental health team and the local authority’s parking services staff, as well as by police officers.

It has now been agreed that a Notice to Quit will be served on the Travellers, ordering them to move on by noon on Tuesday.

A letter sent to Councillor Willie Wilson by Kirsty Steven, principal officer of environmental health with the council, outlines the action taken.

It states: “There is an unauthorised Gypsy/Traveller encampment at Broxden Park and Ride, which arrived on March 12.

“The site has been visited by the Gypsy/Traveller liaison officer, environmental health, parking services and Police Scotland.

The site is clean and the group — Irish Gypsy/Travellers — cooperative.

“The group agreed with Police Scotland to leave on March 18 — the day after St Patrick’s Day. In view of the location of the site, further dialogue has also been undertaken with public transport colleagues and parking services.

“In liaison with legal services, it was concluded that, in order to formalise this leaving date, Notices to Quit be served. Eight of these notices — for each caravan — were therefore served with a requested leaving date of March 18 at 12 noon.

“Monitoring of the situation, including vacation of the site, will continue to be undertaken.”

Mr Wilson, one of the representatives for the Perth City South ward, commented: “This is the second time this year Travellers have occupied council land at Broxden.

“I am pleased that early action has been taken by council staff to deal with the matter. It is good that a number of agencies have worked together to set this action plan in progress.”

He continued: “The subject is still a thorny one, however, with strong views on both sides and needs an urgent solution. We need to find official sites for Travellers over and above the current provision.

“This would go a long way to preventing areas like the Perth Park and Ride being used in future.”

A police spokesperson said: “Police Scotland can confirm that we are aware of the matter and will continue to monitor the situation. A Notice to Quit has been served.”

A high-profile author previously called on the council to create a designated site in Perth, in addition to the one at Double Dykes. Jess Smith said that the council should be “responsible” and offer recognised transit places for Travellers.

“Camping at Broxden and under the Friarton Bridge is depressing and dangerous but they (the Travellers) are faced with little alternative,” she said.

The council said that it will continue to monitor the situation and is looking at the provision of transient sites to support Gypsy/Travellers, and to discourage unauthorised encampments, as part of its wider Gypsy Traveller Strategy.