Gypsies face eviction from 'green belt' site
Adam Derbyshire
March 04, 2009
A GYPSY family who have settled on ‘green belt’ in Denton are facing eviction.
Dean Price, 32, and his brother Thomas set up camp at the former builder’s yard in Watson Street and transformed it into a des res for their families.
The brothers, both Romany gypsies, live in caravans with their wives Sheila and Colette and 10 children aged from one to 17.
Far from the stereotypical ‘gypsy camp’, the site is surrounded by a new brick wall, decorated with hanging baskets and topped with black railings. Ornate gates and CCTV guard the entrance and a gravel drive sweeps into camp.
Speaking to the Advertiser last year, Thomas, 40, said: "It was an eyesore when we arrived. The lane was a magnet for drunken youths, joyriders and flytippers. But we’ve tidied it up and there’s no trouble here now."
Dean added: "I want to give our kids something we never had, a settled school life.
"We bought this site for our family alone, no one else will come here."
They applied for retrospective permission to stay in the green belt, but their application was turned down on Wednesday (4 March) .
Solicitors for the family argued that because it was formerly a builder’s yard, green belt rules should not apply.
A government circular was introduced in 2006 because there had been a failure to deliver adequate sites for gypsies and travellers over the past 10 years.
But planning chiefs told councillors to refuse the application, arguing that "harm" done to the green belt outweighs the "special circumstances" of the proposal.
Seven unsigned objections were submitted from residents in Hyde Road, and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne and his wife, Councillor Alison Gwynne, also objected.
Mr Gwynne submitted an aerial photograph showing the site covered by extensive vegetation in 2003, while his wife said a residential planning application was refused in 1997 so granting permission now would set an ‘alarming precedent’.
Mr Gwynne claimd ‘gypsies’ are classed the same as ‘travelling showmen’ for which there are already three sites in Denton.
March 04, 2009
A GYPSY family who have settled on ‘green belt’ in Denton are facing eviction.
Dean Price, 32, and his brother Thomas set up camp at the former builder’s yard in Watson Street and transformed it into a des res for their families.
The brothers, both Romany gypsies, live in caravans with their wives Sheila and Colette and 10 children aged from one to 17.
Far from the stereotypical ‘gypsy camp’, the site is surrounded by a new brick wall, decorated with hanging baskets and topped with black railings. Ornate gates and CCTV guard the entrance and a gravel drive sweeps into camp.
Speaking to the Advertiser last year, Thomas, 40, said: "It was an eyesore when we arrived. The lane was a magnet for drunken youths, joyriders and flytippers. But we’ve tidied it up and there’s no trouble here now."
Dean added: "I want to give our kids something we never had, a settled school life.
"We bought this site for our family alone, no one else will come here."
They applied for retrospective permission to stay in the green belt, but their application was turned down on Wednesday (4 March) .
Solicitors for the family argued that because it was formerly a builder’s yard, green belt rules should not apply.
A government circular was introduced in 2006 because there had been a failure to deliver adequate sites for gypsies and travellers over the past 10 years.
But planning chiefs told councillors to refuse the application, arguing that "harm" done to the green belt outweighs the "special circumstances" of the proposal.
Seven unsigned objections were submitted from residents in Hyde Road, and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne and his wife, Councillor Alison Gwynne, also objected.
Mr Gwynne submitted an aerial photograph showing the site covered by extensive vegetation in 2003, while his wife said a residential planning application was refused in 1997 so granting permission now would set an ‘alarming precedent’.
Mr Gwynne claimd ‘gypsies’ are classed the same as ‘travelling showmen’ for which there are already three sites in Denton.
Labels: Denton, Green Belt, Gypsy, Gypsy Camp, Romany, UK
posted by Allie @ 10:16 AM
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