After losing a four-year High Court legal struggle to reside on their own land, a group of Gypsies have promised to establish illegal camps around a county.
Since 2018, six families have been residing at the location in Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire, on land they own but don’t have a building permit for.
Since being ordered to move by the Newark and Sherwood District Council, the travelers have fought to remain in their current location for the past four and a half years.
Despite prior victories in appeals at the London High Court, the ruling was recently reversed, and they will now be ejected from their own plot of land.
After being given 14 months to go, the families claim they will be forced to set up squalid camps alongside the road.
A mother who resides on the property, Gemma Lamb, claimed that because the authority had not provided them with an alternate location, they would now be compelled to breach the law.
Following the High Court decision, locals now worry that tourists will swarm their town and pitch tents in parks, schools, and stores.
The area is too noisy and at risk of flooding, according to the Planning Inspectorate, for the gypsy group to dwell there.
However, Gemma, 35, asserts that they do not have any noise issues and that they have only encountered a “few puddles” of water during poor weather.
If we are required to leave, we will have to pull over to the side of the road or into parking lots, she continued, apologizing to the residents of Newark.
“The council hasn’t provided us with any other options.”
“Despite what the High Court said—that the council hasn’t taken our requirements into consideration and the fact that the council doesn’t have property for us to go—the inspectorate has only looked at the previous inspector’s conclusion and followed suit,” the inspectorate stated.
There are no transit sites and the nearby sites are already full.
Gemma claims that her neighborhood is prepared to make any sacrifices necessary, including erecting acoustic fencing to block noise from the A46 or expanding tree planting efforts to hide the location.
The council “simply doesn’t care,” she continued.
We are also human, but the only distinction between us and you is that we reside in tin boxes.
“I simply want to be able to sit down with council members, have them hear our narrative, and have them recognize we do have needs.”
When they say no, they don’t provide an alternative. “We’ve even requested for temporary consent, but they are against it.”
And this is where we call home; we’re not leaving Newark.
The families are currently being asked to leave the property, and Newark and Sherwood District Council has ordered that any sheds and other “hard surfacing works” be taken down.
This is our neighborhood, and the locals get along with us, added Gemma. The loudness simply doesn’t affect us, and we’ve never had any complaints or cops down here.
We shouldn’t be here because of a decision made by a total stranger who doesn’t know anything about us, but they’re going to evict us nonetheless.
You shouldn’t paint all Gypsies with the same brush just because we are.
The council has never provided a place for travelers, so if they drive us out, we will only become a burden.
“By staying here, we are assisting the council with the provision; there are six less plots they need to find.”
We are only human, thus they should listen to our narrative.
The way the matter was handled was called “shambolic” by a local citizen who did not want to be identified.
“This has been back and forth for years, and now we confront illegal traveler camps sprouting up all over the place,” the retired taxi driver added.
‘We don’t want caravans parked up at our parks, supermarkets, schools or wherever it may be. We don’t want the disruption and mess it will all bring.
‘It has been a shambles. Nobody seems to know who is in the right or wrong and now these people won’t have a home and will blight the lives of others.’
Another resident Joanna Wright, 40, was among 700 others to sign a petition supporting the decision to let the travellers stay put.
She added: ‘These travellers need somewhere to live and it’s better they remain here then are forced to set up camp by the roadside.
‘I don’t understand the logic in telling them it’s too noisy – that’s for them to decide as they live there.
‘And as for the flood risk, people buy homes next to rivers all of the time and that is their choice.’
David Lloyd, leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: ‘The recent decision by the planning inspectorate comes after previous court, enforcement, and appeal decisions.
‘While the personal circumstances and needs of the occupants presented to the appeal process were heard in full, the Planning Inspectorate concluded that, despite a significant unmet need for Gypsy and Traveller pitches within the district, that the site was inappropriate for reasons of noise, flood risk and that the site is located within an open break between Newark and Winthorpe, where new development is currently heavily restricted.
‘Accordingly the Planning Inspectorate has upheld the enforcement notice requiring that the site occupants vacate the site within 12 months and remove all unauthorised development of the land, including hard surfacing works and outbuildings within 14 months.
‘I do sympathise with all those affected by this final decision.
‘The district council continues to work to identify suitable sites to meet its current and future Gypsy and Traveller needs.
‘Further updates will be presented to the public for consultation in the latter half of this year as to how this need could be met.
‘In the interim I can assure residents of this unauthorised site that we will not be enforcing the requirements of the notice.’
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: ‘There is a risk of flooding from the River Trent to this site and therefore, throughout the appeals process, we maintained our objection on flood risk grounds.’