PROTESTERS concerned about plans for a permanent gypsy and traveller site at the old highways depot at Derriton gathered outside Holsworthy Memorial Hall on Tuesday evening, December 9 as a meeting was held for local councillors.
District, town and parish councillors were invited to the meeting which aimed to give information about traveller sites before having an informed debate. Also present at the meeting was Torridge District Council Chief Executive John van de Laarschot, Devon County Council's gypsy liaison officer and representatives of the county council's traveller education service.
Around 50 residents took part in the peaceful protest outside the hall, at which the police were present. Signs were displayed with the words 'Keep out the travellers' and 'No to gypsy's' with the word 'site' written below.
Among the protestors were Gerald and Rae Gulliver who have lived approximately 200 yards from the proposed site for around 25 years. Mrs Gulliver said: "I'm disgusted with how it's all come about. Nobody was told anything, it all came out in the paper."
One Holsworthy resident was disappointed that the meeting was not open to the public: "I thought it was for the town's people to learn the facts. I don't know anything about it."
Concerns have been expressed about the unsuitability of the site, including its proximity to the River Deer, lack of street lighting, lack of school facilities and also the nearby Woodland Trust's Martyn's Wood.
Debbie and Steve Fairbass said they had nothing against "law abiding Romany Gypsies" but they were concerned about their holiday lets.
After watching a DVD entitled 'The Pride, The Prejudice' about travellers and their lifestyles and culture, both past and present, the meeting turned into a question and answer session.
One Pyworthy parish councillor asked who would make the decision as to who is allocated a pitch at the site. He was also concerned about how the site would be policed. David Robinson of Pyworthy said there were concerns that Derriton was a long way from Bideford and he sought assurances that Torridge will manage the site properly.
Liz Steele, Housing manager at Torridge, said the procedure of allocating pitches would be similar to any other affordable housing.
If the site at Derriton goes ahead it will be Torridge District Council's first permanent traveller site and Liz said: "We'll need to manage it properly, the same with any scheme.
"We're talking to Devon County Council and other people who manage and run gypsy and traveller sites to find examples of the best practices so when we come up with proposals, we come up with proposals for managing sites that are appropriate and efficient."
Sabrina Thomas, Gypsy and Traveller Liaison Officer, said contacts and tenancy agreements would be in place: "It works well."
Chief Executive of Torridge District Council, John van de Laarschot said: "It's not in our interest to come up with a site that is unacceptable."
Present at the meeting was Jean Haines, a Romany Gypsy from Holsworthy. She explained that there were three types of gypsies and travellers — Romany Gypsies, New Age Travellers and Irish Travellers and she commented: "They are all entitled to live the life they want to live."
She said the stopping places from her childhood had been filled in and now gypsies had "become dependent on council produced sites."
She said: "Gypsies are always, in my opinion, at the bottom of the list. People are coming into this country in thousands and their needs are being seen to immediately. Gypsies are made to wait."
Commenting on the protest outside the hall, she said: "I'm absolutely amazed tonight to see the reaction of local people out here with placards saying 'no to gypsies', and the police have done nothing. If it was any other ethnic group they would have been arrested.
"Gypsies and travellers are at the bottom of the pile."
One gentleman at the meeting responded by saying that the people outside were not "anti gypsy or traveller' but believed the location was wrong.
Liz Steele explained that an application had not yet been submitted, but if one was, the suitability of the site would be considered during the planning process, the same as any other application.
Chairman of Pyworthy Parish Council, Andrew Parrish said: "I think this period we're living in now is like no man's land." He said that rumours were going around and commented: "I think the people of Pyworthy and Holsworthy deserve some sort of public meeting, perhaps in the new year."
Liz Steele said when considering a public meeting they had concerns about "how would it go and what would the reaction be." However she said: "We need to talk about it. We need to engage with the public but we've got to think about the right way to do it."
A parish councillor asked if it was true that traveller children get priority at schools over local children. Anne Walker, head of Devon County Council's Traveller Education Service said that traveller children did not get preference over local children. The meeting was also informed that people living on traveller sites pay council tax.
There are currently 52 official sites in Devon. Recent research and a subsequent report carried out by the University of Plymouth into the housing needs of gypsies and travellers in Devon, however, indicates that 226 permanent extra pitches will be needed across the county by 2011 with a further 53 between 2011 and 2016.
In Torridge there are no existing council-owned pitches and just two authorised privately owned pitches, so it has been decided that 24 will be needed by 2011.