£800k gypsy site u-turn outrageous

Friday 27th January 2012

With regard to Barnsley Council’s plans to spend £800,000 developing a permanent gypsy and travellers’ site on land located off Sandygate Lane at Stairfoot/Ardsley for ten pitches. Most of us feel a deep disappointment and anger that the council has taken us all for a ride.

This is a very sensitive and serious issue. When these proposals were first published in 2008 there was a demonstrable display of ill feeling made by over 150 local residents in attendance at an area forum meeting, the council then commissioned a working party made up of councillors, officers, local residents and gypsy and traveller representatives who all made recommendations that the Stairfoot site should be withdrawn.

The council’s Ruling Labour Cabinet has disregarded all our concerns and recommended the go ahead for this particular location. I have grave concerns regarding the Sandygate Lane site being chosen, especially given its close proximity to Oakhill Primary School, residential and commercial properties, also with draft proposals to develop the former quarry into a wildlife conservation area with permissive footpaths making a safer access for school children with links onto the popular and much used Trans-Pennine Trail.

I recognise the need to have proper provisions for gypsies and travellers which would help in preventing unauthorised camping sites. There is no shortage of land across Barnsley which would be more accessible and suitable for a gypsy and traveller site and in my opinion the council should withdraw these most outrageous proposals.

Comment on this story

Posted by dedatodd on Sun 29th Jan 2012 at 06:58am I have no particular axe to grind with the travelling community other than the lack of respect these people seem to have for the environment and community they periodically visit! But the spending of 800k (who knows what the final figure will be - we know how government projects overrun!) in such times seems foolhardy to say the least, currently the authority are looking at removing posts! How many of these posts could have been kept open with this money? Does this proposed project have plans to charge the travellers rent, council tax etc to recoup some / all of the tax payers monies for this? Who will manage this site ( a new managerial post? ). Finally, if a majority of residents / councillors / traveller representatives recommended this be withdraw at a forum how did it get agreement? In all honesty this shows that the forums are just for show, the Labour Cabinet has no interest in the concerns of residents - Democracy at work? D