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EPPING FOREST: Council rule out traveller site legal challenge

A LEGAL challenge to Government plans for 34 new gypsy and traveller sites in the district has been ruled out by the district council, to the anger of residents.

Seven campaign groups from across the district put their names to a letter citing the example of St Albans – which is mounting a High Court legal challenge to the Government – and saying that the public consultation carried out by Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) on identifying possible sites was flawed.

A spokeswoman for the Theydon Bois Action Group said: “The council thought that accepting 34 pitches was ‘not a wholly unreasonable number’ rather than continue the fight.

“That is not a stance that most of the residents understand.”

EFDC is currently reviewing the way the consultation was carried out as hopes grow that the whole process can be stalled until after the next general election.

David Jenkins, who stands to lose 80 per cent of his land by his home in Thornwood if the proposals become reality, said: “The council's planning department should take a serious look at the way they have interpreted the Government’s guidelines for choosing sites.

“Both the settled community and the gypsy and traveller community have expressed preferences to be kept apart, but the council have completely ignored this when selecting potential sites.

“I think they're delaying things beyond the next election in the hope that the situation will change.

"But I think the next Government, whoever they are, will come under pressure from the European Union, so I don't think delaying it will make much difference.”

Thornwood landowner Erica Longton said: “The whole process appears to have been flawed. It's as if the council arbitrarily stuck pins in a map when they were deciding where to put the sites.

“If it was tested in a court of law it would collapse like a house of cards. I wouldn't be surprised if the action groups ended up taking the council to court if they fail to take the Government to court.”

A spokesman for Epping Forest District Council said a legal challenge was not being considered by its legal department.

He added: “We are still analysing the first consultation and taking stock of the situation.

“The feeling among councillors was that we shouldn’t consider the next step until we know the outcome of this stage.”


Comments (4)

08/11/09

karola says...

As someone who has first hand experience of living next door to an expanding gypsy camp, I do not understand the government and expecially local council's stand. I don't think it has anything to do with the EC as other European countries are not as obliging as we are. From my point of view they do not 'travel' anymore, certainly the ones I have had close experience with. They are using their special status as a minority group to get special considerations that none of us get, ie to be able to buy land and then live on it, even if it is designated greenbelt. If they want to settle down they should do it on the same rules the rest of us have to live by. It is about time we treated everyone equally and not gave special rights to socalled 'special people'. We are all special and deserve to be treated with respect and have our boundaries and rights respected.

08/11/09

Debdenite says...

The headline and first paragraph are a bit misleading. When you read further into the article, it is obvious that the council is stalling for time in the hope that should a new government get into power next year the consultation would be overhauled and a new process put in place. As such, legal action could prove unnecessary and costly. I would imagine it will be some time - perhaps a couple of years - before the sites are acquired and prepared. But in the mean time, the uncertainty does depreciate people's main assets - property - and it will inflame sentiment against Gypsies and travellers, who are already unfairly despised.

Ultimately, travelling communities with limited financial resources have got to go somewhere or they are forced to squat land. If not a field somewhere in the Green Belt, then a brownfield area in a town where more people will feel aggrieved. And if you don't want them living in caravans, then they have to live in houses, which puts a strain on housing stock and fuels demand for development. Travellers won't disappear in a puff of smoke simply by ignoring them.

The problem is that the council has not actually performed an adequate assessment, I don't believe it even performed a thorough survey of the land it suggested for sites and as a result people are very anxious. Councillors and council officers, gambling on a Labour defeat in 2010, have not taken the matter seriously, but this has caused great upset for many affected people.

08/11/09

Touchwood says...

Sounds like violin playing to me!

08/11/09

Hamish Bresto says...

This is great news as these people must have somewhere to live and there is vast areas of available land in Epping. I know a lot of the smug population will become overnight NIMBY's but it is about time that they learned to share their good fortune and take a little rough with the smooth.