NORTHFLEET: Travellers on move to new home (From News Shopper)

NORTHFLEET: Travellers on move to new home

3:00pm Sunday 5th July 2009 in

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EVICTED travellers have agreed to move their homes to a new site, despite initially being opposed to the proposal.

Diggers and bailiffs from Gravesham Council, assisted by police officers, cleared the site in White Post Lane, Sole Street and moved trailers, caravans and other vehicles belonging to the traveller families to a new home off Springhead Road, Northfleet.

Thirty-nine people, including 20 children and three pregnant women, saw their homes dragged away, fences smashed and paving ripped up.

The families originally rejected the council’s offer of the Northfleet site and more than 300 residents living nearby signed a petition against permission for the former allotment site.

John Down, chairman of the Gravesend Royal Naval Association, whose club is in the same road as the site, said: “I’m disgusted with it all.

“They have turfed the travellers out from where they were, they have buildings in the driveway of the new site and it looks a shambles.

“They have turfed off all the allotment holders and turned it into a travellers’ camp, but it’s not a camp it’s a permanent site.”

The old site is now strewn with gas cannisters, rubbish, porter loos and abandoned sheds, but the land will eventually be restored to farmland.

Families’ homes were moved off the land because they breached government green belt rules, after eviction notices were served in February.

The eight traveller families have been temporarily housed at the Springhead Recreation Ground while facilities are prepared on the new site.

One of the travellers, Sabrina Ford, 21, said: “We’d like to know what the council is going to do for us, are they going to put bays in, give us toilets and an electric box for everyone?

“To be honest I’m more than happy to move if they put everything back and so long as they fix everything.”

A council spokeswoman said all travellers’ queries should be put to an appointed person acting on behalf of the families.