The Travellers have now left their temporary campsite near the junction of Moor Lane with the A1237.
The Council have been asked to clear rubbish from the area and secure the site
Travellers fail to leave Moor Lane site
Caravans remain despite notice to leave
Travellers who are occupying council-owned land on Moor Lane have failed to leave the site despite being issued with a ‘Direction to Leave’ notice last week.
The notice expired on 10th August.
Legal avenues are now being pursued, beginning with the matter being brought before Magistrates later this week.
The issue is being pursued by the Councillors who represent the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward
Traveller caravans on Moor Lane ordered to move by Monday
Travellers, whose caravans appeared on a field at the top of Moor Lane, have been served with a ‘Direction to Leave’ notice which expires on Monday 10th August.
If they have not gone by then, the matter will be escalated to the Magistrates court.
Gypsies, Travellers and Showpeople – new sites in York identified
Secret report reveals Labour plans
One of the most controversial aspects of Labours Draft Local Plan for York was the propsed provision for Travellers.
Last year, some landowner’s spotted the opportunity to identify land for use by caravan dwellers but later withdrew them when the “Green Belt” designation of the sites had been undermined.
This happened at both Wetherby Road/Knapton (Showpeople) and Dunnington (Travellers).
The York council was then left with a shortfall of around 60 pitches. If they do not identify sites for them, it is likely that their Plan will not be supported by an Inspector at a Hearing in Public later in the year.
The Labour Councils response was, typically, to table a report at the last minute at a Cabinet meeting held earlier in the week. The highly contentious proposals were not made available to the all party working group which met the previous week, effectively ruling out any chance of consensus on the issue.
Labour propose to establish new traveller sites at:
- Osbaldwick – East of Metcalf Lane ST7
- Huntington – North of Monks Cross ST8
- Rawcliffe – Clifton Moor ST14
- Heslington/Wheldrake – Whinthorpe ST15
All these are Green Belt sites.
The principal of housing development on them will be bitterly contested by residents at the public inquiry.
Even if one or two are approved (they don’t need to be as York has more than enough brownfield land to satisfy demand for the next 25 years or more) developers have said that the viability of these huge new housing estates would be jeopardised by the inclusion of traveller camps.
The Council should have included the new industrial areas that it has identified as potential sites for 2 or 3 small caravan sites. Travellers, perhaps more than any other group, typify the need for “live/work” units. Many are involved in salvage or surfacing work which is a use more appropriate for industrial areas. Others may require good access to schools. Essentially these communities need to have a choice of location to meet their differing needs.
The York Council has made a major blunder by slipping its proposals into the public realm in such a way as to avoid any debate.
The decision sheet from the meeting earlier in the week has been published.
The traveller paper was noticeable by its absence. (It has now been added but is very difficult to find and is not included in the “Newly Published” list).
Residents have a right of access to important papers like these.
It is another example of the Council ignoring its constitution and adopting a secretive, bunker mentality.
In the interests of openness you can download a copy of the paper from our web site by clicking here.
York Council in new Traveller and Showmans site search
The York Council has announced a new search for possible sites for Gypsies and a Showman’s Yard.
- Showman’s site Wetherby Road Knapton Withdrawn in July
The announcement falls sort of asking for residents suggestions.
That is a mistake given the controversy which greeted the arbitrary allocation of land announced under Labour’s draft Local Plan last April.
The Council has issued a media release saying,
An updated study is underway which will help determine suitable locations for the development of Gypsy, Roma & Traveller and Showpeople sites in York, ahead of the next stage of York’s Local Plan consultation in 2014.
City of York Council has a statutory requirement to identify needs and allocate land and so has commissioned an external study in to the Gypsy, Roma & Traveller and Showpeople Housing Needs and Site Identification which will be used to inform and help determine which sites in York are suitable to be included in the Local Plan submission draft early next year.
The submission draft of the Local Plan is expected to published for consultation in Spring 2014.
The revised study will provide an update on the North Yorkshire Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (2007/8) and the North Yorkshire Accommodation Requirements of Showpeople (2009).
It will also build on the work carried out by council officers in the Gypsy, Traveller and Showpeople Accommodation Needs Supporting Paper (June 2013) which were all supporting documents in the recent Local Plan Preferred Options consultation.
Traveller site extension at Osbaldwick gets go ahead; Sessions decision
The planning committee approved an extension to the Osbaldwick caravan site last night. They noticeably failed to impose conditions on how the site would be managed in future despite concerns raised by local residents.
NB. The same meeting approved the high density housing development plans for the old Sessions site