Villagers' concern at unauthorised travellers site

Villagers have called for urgent action to be taken against an unauthorised travellers site of up to 50 caravans.

People living in Hillam near Sherburn in Elmet said the caravans had arrived on land off Betteras Hill Road a week ago, and hardcore, fences and septic tanks had been installed.

North Yorkshire Council said it had served a temporary stop notice on any work on the site and was investigating "further enforcement options".

Hillam Parish Council said the notice had been breached and urged the local authority to take action.

Betteras Hill Road is a single-track lane surrounded by fields and a small number of homes, and connects the village to the A162.

One resident who wanted to remain anonymous said the scale of the site had caused "considerable concern" after being made aware that the land had been sold for horse grazing.

He said that, just before 17:00 BST last Friday, he watched as trucks, diggers and cars entered the field.

He said: "By Monday there was 20-plus caravans there and over 40 men working there."

Hillam Parish Council said: "We share our residents' frustration and will continue to pursue the matter through every appropriate channel."

Reform UK councillor Tim Grogan, who represents Monk-Fryston and South Milford on North Yorkshire Council, said he was pressing for an injunction to be served.

"I am not condemning travellers, but in this particular case, the fit is wrong and it's not right," he said.

"It's been devastating, absolutely devastating."

Grogan urged North Yorkshire Council to have an out-of-hours provision for planning enforcement officers and to have a site for the travellers to go to.

He said there was also a problem with the planning law.

"If I wanted to move from my house and suddenly build a property in my village that I bought, I wouldn't be allowed to," he said.

"I'd be jumped on very quickly but we don't seem to jump on these people as quickly as we should."

Wolfgang Douglas is a Romany Gypsy businessman and advisory board member of the Traveller Movement charity, which supports the travelling community.

Douglas said everyone had the right to live somewhere, adding: "I look at this more as a bottleneck situation where we see cause and effect rather than real solutions being provided."

He said while he did not advocate breaking the law, the lack of authorised sites was forcing families to make difficult choices.

"Where are they supposed to go? Where is the other allocation they are providing? The answer is none," he said.

North Yorkshire Council said that it recognised the impact unauthorised development could have on communities and would "act when investigating potential breaches".

Head of development management Martin Grainger said: "We must follow a formal process when dealing with possible unauthorised developments to ensure cases are properly investigated and action is taken with the right evidence and in a timeframe most likely to achieve the outcome needed.

"In this instance we are satisfied that this matter has been progressed in a realistic timeframe and in line with the required procedures."

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