Gypsies to be allowed to live on green belt land
Discussion
Bucks Free Press said:
Wycombe council's concern over gypsy Green Belt call
11:00am Tuesday 8th September 2009
By Oliver Evans »
COUNCIL bosses have branded “very concerning” Government plans to let gypsies live on protected Green Belt land.
Wycombe District Council is to officially oppose a call by regional planning chiefs that legal campsites could go on the Green Belt in “exceptional circumstances”.
The response states: “WDC is very concerned about the willingness to justify relaxation of nationally-important policy constraints which this statement appears to advocate.”
Future policy should make it clear that protected land principles are “not ‘optionals’ to be ignored at will, but are sacrosanct and inviolable unless there really are no other alternatives”.
Councils throughout England have been told to identify land where they would allow gypsies and travellers to set up a permanent campsite.
Councillors also hit out at the plan to distribute the sites throughout Buckinghamshire instead of where demand is greatest.
This could see gypsies, travellers and showpeople avoid these locations as they are not close to essential services, they heard..
Planning chief councillor Jean Teesdale said last night: “We are concerned if we go along this arbitrary distribution we run the risk of gypsies and travellers not wanting to go where we have put sites because it does not suit their needs.”
These needs could include the desire to be close to doctors and schools, said Cllr Teesdale, cabinet member for planning and sustainability.
In its official response to Government bosses the authority says: “The way it spreads allocations among districts without reference to evidence on the ground is not a sound, evidence-based approach.”
It says the official consultation admits that this approach “could lead to the potential that some pitches provided would not be occupied, reducing overall sustainability benefits”.
And it said the council had been given “no justification” for the proposed pitches for Wycombe district rising from 76 to 78.
The council also blasts calls for two pitches for travelling show people as a study showed “no need” for this.
The Government Offices for the South East has been putting together the final plan for the last three years.
Illegal sites have plagued
11:00am Tuesday 8th September 2009
By Oliver Evans »
COUNCIL bosses have branded “very concerning” Government plans to let gypsies live on protected Green Belt land.
Wycombe District Council is to officially oppose a call by regional planning chiefs that legal campsites could go on the Green Belt in “exceptional circumstances”.
The response states: “WDC is very concerned about the willingness to justify relaxation of nationally-important policy constraints which this statement appears to advocate.”
Future policy should make it clear that protected land principles are “not ‘optionals’ to be ignored at will, but are sacrosanct and inviolable unless there really are no other alternatives”.
Councils throughout England have been told to identify land where they would allow gypsies and travellers to set up a permanent campsite.
Councillors also hit out at the plan to distribute the sites throughout Buckinghamshire instead of where demand is greatest.
This could see gypsies, travellers and showpeople avoid these locations as they are not close to essential services, they heard..
Planning chief councillor Jean Teesdale said last night: “We are concerned if we go along this arbitrary distribution we run the risk of gypsies and travellers not wanting to go where we have put sites because it does not suit their needs.”
These needs could include the desire to be close to doctors and schools, said Cllr Teesdale, cabinet member for planning and sustainability.
In its official response to Government bosses the authority says: “The way it spreads allocations among districts without reference to evidence on the ground is not a sound, evidence-based approach.”
It says the official consultation admits that this approach “could lead to the potential that some pitches provided would not be occupied, reducing overall sustainability benefits”.
And it said the council had been given “no justification” for the proposed pitches for Wycombe district rising from 76 to 78.
The council also blasts calls for two pitches for travelling show people as a study showed “no need” for this.
The Government Offices for the South East has been putting together the final plan for the last three years.
Illegal sites have plagued
kers. FourWheelDrift said:
It won't be green belt land for long, it'll become brown belt land land very quickly.
Gypsy camp for 12 months, in that time it will have utilities installed & "temporary structures" will go up, 12 months after that an application will go into the local council for "social" housing, this application will then be subject to a change where "social" will change into "executive" at which point gypsies will move on to the next green belt site they want to developParasites the fecking lot of em
Edited by AndrewW-G on Wednesday 9th September 11:52
There are a few people parked up, living rough selling "mushrooms" at the side of the road around here. I like the irony of yoghurt weavers and (chainsaw) art.
I have a question. If one of them is living in a pay and display carpark (close to the beach) can all of the visitors/locals have free parking as well?
If I decide to run my business out of a caravan, can I too not pay business rates and taxes?
I don't allow myself to think about it too much otherwise I will get very cross. It is discrimination that ANY form of people should be treated any differently than others. Either sort it out or allow me to act the same.
Tax, insurance, MOT?
Hmmmm :vitriol:
I have a question. If one of them is living in a pay and display carpark (close to the beach) can all of the visitors/locals have free parking as well?
If I decide to run my business out of a caravan, can I too not pay business rates and taxes?
I don't allow myself to think about it too much otherwise I will get very cross. It is discrimination that ANY form of people should be treated any differently than others. Either sort it out or allow me to act the same.
Tax, insurance, MOT?
Hmmmm :vitriol:
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