Cottingley Springs re-visited

I attended a public consultation  meeting to discuss the expansion of Cottingley Springs Travellers site held in Gildersome last Wednesday. I've declared it a sham. The meeting – attended by over 35 local residents who unanimously opposed the expansion proposal but were told by Leeds City Council officers that there was no alternative

Most residents believe this so called consultation process is a sham. Gildersome Parish Council oppose this plan, MBI Ward Councillors oppose this plan – as does Morley Town Council. Residents from both Gildersome and New Farnley oppose this plan. How can the consultation process be anything other than a sham when everyone is told that there is no alternative to this proposal and a planning application will be lodged shortly. It’s clear Leeds City Council is not interested in the views of local residents or councillors.

 The meeting was a stormy one with residents raising concerns about increased levels of anti-social behaviour if the site was extended, breaches of greenbelt planning policy and the fact that Leeds had looked at over 30 other locations for a site and could not come up with one alternative.

I am holding a further meeting to set up an action group to fight this proposal which will be held in Gildersome Meeting Hall on Wednesday 31stJuly at 7pm. I am aiming to bring tougher Gildersome Parish Council, Ward Councillors for Gildersome and New Farnley as well as local residents to co-ordinate the campaign to block this proposal. It appears that Leeds City Council is happy to dump this problem onto local residents rather than look for a sustainable and credible alternative.

I raised the issue with Nick Boules MP – the minister responsible for planning at a meeting he had with him last Friday. I have asked the Minister to investigate the application fully and to consider calling in the planning application.

Cottingley Travellers site to be expanded?

Leeds City Councils plans to expand Cottingley Springs Travellers site are to be discussed at a consultation meeting to be held at 6pm at Gildersome Meeting Hall on Wednesday 24th July.

I’ve been contacted by local residents about the proposal and I believe residents have legitimate concerns about the expansion of the Travellers site at Cottingley Springs. The village of Gildersome already suffers the impact of this large site on their doorstep and any expansion will mean an expansion of the problems they face.

The Morley Borough Independent Group has already confirmed its opposition to the proposals and has suggested that smaller site across other areas of Leeds is the answer to the blight of unauthorised Travellers sites.

We already have several small Traveller site across the Morley area as well as this large permanent site on our doorstep. It’s time for other areas in Leeds to take their share of this burden and accept some smaller sites in their neighbourhoods.

As regular readers will know I have called for the occupation of private land by Travellers to move from being a civil to a criminal matter. This is what happens in Eire and reduces the number of unauthorised sites as the Police then have the power to move Travellers on immediately without the often long delay in obtaining an eviction notice. This seems to me the easiest way to relieve residents of the blight unauthorised camps impose on them. No Government has yet had the backbone to introduce the same legislation the Irish have. Lets hope for better at the next General Election - but don't hold your breath!