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Travellers drop Pitsea site plan
4:19pm Monday 26th May 2008
Comments (4)THE threat of a permanent traveller site near Pitsea flyover has been lifted.
In a surprise U-turn, travellers from the unauthorised Dale Farm camp at Crays Hill have withdrawn their appeal against Basildon Council's refusal of planning permission for a site at Terminus Drive.
In a letter to Basildon Council, the travellers offer an olive branch after years of increasingly bitter disputes. The letter concedes they will have to leave illegal plots at Dale Farm eventually and says they want to work with the council to find alternative homes.
This could avoid the immensely costly eviction process, which has become mired in legal wrangles. The letter from lawyer Brian Cox, on behalf of the Dale Farm community, to Neil Costen, council head of enforcement, says concerns about the Terminus Drive site had been noted. It says travellers feel it would be premature to pursue the planning appeal, in view of a High Court ruling delaying planned evictions at Dale Farm.
The letter said: "The recent judicial review decision has caused our clients to review the overall situation. Your authority will now need to review our clients' personal circumstances on an individual basis.
"Eventually, they will have to move and it may well be in a more controlled situation, to a piece of land agreeable to all."
Referring to Terminus Drive, the letter adds: "An appeal could be premature and our advice is to withdraw it and we have written to the inspector accordingly."
The travellers will now meet with English Partnerships, which owns the Terminus Drive site, to discuss whether other land it owns which might be suitable as a travellers' camp.
Grattan Puxon, travellers' campaigner, said: "Terminus Drive was only a small site, for some families, and there was a lot of opposition."
Council leader Malcolm Buckley welcomed the developments in the long and bitter dispute over Dale Farm, the largest unauthorised travellers site in Europe.
He said: "We are happy to talk to the travellers and would prefer them to move off without the need for bailiffs.
"However, I do not believe there is a suitable large site within the district that is not green belt and still believe it is up to other authorities to make provision for sites."
Your Say YourEcho
Bogus Gipsy Alert, Crays Hill says...
9:41am Tue 27 May 08
They are believed to be Irish Catholics, but this may also be a ploy used to make them seem honest and caring people.
mike b, Billericay says...
10:31am Tue 27 May 08
To suggest otherwise is just posturing by Messrs Cox and Buckley avoids the key question of how much non-green belt land could be made available, if necessary, on a temporary basis ?
The JR judgement made it clear that the travellers must go and that the council may not need to do too much more to bring that about - the Judge reinforced that in court on 9th May when he said the council must not take any action during this school term.
The travellers know the game might nearly be up so any delay or opportunity to negotiate is a bonus for them ; the council still refuse to provide more sites, apparently even on a temporary basis and the government wont want the adverse publicity an eviction would cause. More delay would seem to suit them all but the Judge has put pressure on everyone by enabling them to end this fiasco quickly, if they are willing to be constructive.
Dropping the Pitsea appeal seems to be inviting the council to start the process of complying with the JR decision. Will the council match that initiative, even if it means considering creating a few small temporary non-green belt sites or will they delay again by persisting with their appeal against the JR, a process that might take another year to complete ?
Kicking for touch until "other authorities make provision for sites" is an easy but very cynical strategy because its the residents of Crays Hill and Hovefields who are taking all the risks.
Andrew, Shoeburyness, says...
7:39pm Tue 27 May 08
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Bogus Vicar Alert, says...
4:38pm Mon 26 May 08