OFFICIAL small scale sites for travellers could be set up in the Suffolk Coastal area.
There have been travellers occupying mainly forestry land for nearly 20 years in the Woodbridge area and now they could be given their own camps.
However, Suffolk Coastal District Council stressed that the provision of sites was not the most urgent requirement of its homelessness strategy and officers have not met with travellers to discuss their needs.
Under the Housing Act 2004 the council has to include gypsies and travellers when assessing housing provision.
The council says there has never been a significant traditional gypsy population, either migratory or fixed. But New Age Travellers have become established since the late 1980s.
They often occupy sites at Hollesley and near the Woodbridge airfield. They are usually hidden away among trees but recently there have been illegal camps set up on Suffolk Coastal land at Sutton Heath, adjacent to popular footpaths, which angered the public.
Suffolk Coastal's cabinet meets on June 17 and will discuss the issue.
Chris Slemmings, cabinet member for housing, said the Government insisted that the homelessness strategy had to address the needs of gypsies and travellers and the council planned to meet three different groups of travellers in the area.
Cllr Slemmings said: ''However, those talks have not yet occurred, nor have we yet looked at possible locations for official camps as it is not a top priority of the homelessness strategy.''
He added the council's main efforts were focused upon the prevention of homelessness.
The population is forecast to rise in Suffolk Coastal by 17.5% in 20 years and the district currently has an above average number of people aged over 45.
More than 75% of the housing stock is owner occupied. The highest percentage of rented homes is in the Felixstowe area.
The rate of unemployment has dropped in 10 years from 5.5% to 1.3% but there has been a trend of people aged 16 to 24 moving away from the area for higher education and to find better paid jobs.
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Showing posts with label caravan sites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label caravan sites. Show all posts
Romany is ‘hissed and booed’ at meeting and told to 'go back to where you belong'
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Over 250 people packed a public meeting regarding plans for a caravan site for Gypsies.
The open meeting at Wybunbury Village Hall followed concern over a scheme for a five-acre caravan site in Wybunbury Lane at Stapeley, Nantwich.
The meeting was set up by residents who have formed the “Wybunbury and Stapeley Caravan Park Action Group” in a bid to fight the plans.
The group are objecting, saying the site has only ever been used for agriculture. They add there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the lane and nearby ponds have been noted as being the habitat of protected great crested newts.
I do not know why the worry as to the great crested newt. Gypsies never have been known for eating them; now hedgehogs, that is a different story.
During the public meeting, questions and views were offered from the Gypsy community as well as residents.
Romany-Gypsy told to “go back to where you belong”
Action group chairman Jimmy Rowlinson was challenged over the use of the word ‘Gypsy’ on flyers advertising the meeting by Romany Joe Smith, of Hunsterson.
Mr Smith said: “The meeting opened a lot of people’s eyes. I was asked to leave the floor after just one question and I was hissed and booed at.
“The fact they use the word ‘Gypsy’ just infuriates people. There were definitely undertones surfacing at this meeting as I was told to go back to where I belong. Well, I’ve lived in Hunsterson for 32 years and people like me and the residents there know who I am and where I came from and there isn’t a problem.”
Mr Rowlinson said: “The word ‘Gypsy’ was used on the flyers because the planning application referred to a ‘Gypsy Caravan Park’.
“The action group would be opposed to any application for development which affects the rural character of Wybunbury Lane.”
There are definite undertones in Britain now as well, in some areas at least, that see Romany-Gypsies as people who should go back to where they belong. Now someone please tell us where that be. We do NOT have a homeland but if someone would b e good enough to give up a piece – or should we cease some land like the Jews did? - we'd probably be happy enough to settle there. Then again, why should we and why should we even have to consider that?
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
Over 250 people packed a public meeting regarding plans for a caravan site for Gypsies.
The open meeting at Wybunbury Village Hall followed concern over a scheme for a five-acre caravan site in Wybunbury Lane at Stapeley, Nantwich.
The meeting was set up by residents who have formed the “Wybunbury and Stapeley Caravan Park Action Group” in a bid to fight the plans.
The group are objecting, saying the site has only ever been used for agriculture. They add there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the lane and nearby ponds have been noted as being the habitat of protected great crested newts.
I do not know why the worry as to the great crested newt. Gypsies never have been known for eating them; now hedgehogs, that is a different story.
During the public meeting, questions and views were offered from the Gypsy community as well as residents.
Romany-Gypsy told to “go back to where you belong”
Action group chairman Jimmy Rowlinson was challenged over the use of the word ‘Gypsy’ on flyers advertising the meeting by Romany Joe Smith, of Hunsterson.
Mr Smith said: “The meeting opened a lot of people’s eyes. I was asked to leave the floor after just one question and I was hissed and booed at.
“The fact they use the word ‘Gypsy’ just infuriates people. There were definitely undertones surfacing at this meeting as I was told to go back to where I belong. Well, I’ve lived in Hunsterson for 32 years and people like me and the residents there know who I am and where I came from and there isn’t a problem.”
Mr Rowlinson said: “The word ‘Gypsy’ was used on the flyers because the planning application referred to a ‘Gypsy Caravan Park’.
“The action group would be opposed to any application for development which affects the rural character of Wybunbury Lane.”
There are definite undertones in Britain now as well, in some areas at least, that see Romany-Gypsies as people who should go back to where they belong. Now someone please tell us where that be. We do NOT have a homeland but if someone would b e good enough to give up a piece – or should we cease some land like the Jews did? - we'd probably be happy enough to settle there. Then again, why should we and why should we even have to consider that?
© M Smith (Veshengro), May 2008
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