‘Dale Farm’ fears as travellers seek permanent village home

There has been concern ever since the family set up camp on the outskirts of Keyingham last September after buying the land.

The following month they put in an application for retrospective planning permission.

The travellers, who built a hard-standing area for their caravans on the weekend they moved in, are now seeking approval for “continued use of land as a residential gipsy site” at a meeting at County Hall in Beverley next week.

As well as having four caravans, they are also seeking permission to build a toilet block and sewage treatment plant. Some residents say they feel intimidated when they pass the site and fear granting planning permission will set a precedent for more travellers to come to the village, the family reportedly having bought enough land for 200 caravans.

Arthur Hodgson, chairman of Keyingham Parish Council and a county councillor will be speaking at the meeting of the East Riding Council’s eastern area planning sub-committee on Monday.

He urged councillors to turn down the plans. He said: “The fact they are going down there and doing this concerns me because this is how Dale Farm started.

“A lot of the resentment from people is there are a lot of travellers going round who do have homes to go to.

“I can understand the other landowners down there being upset because they have wanted to build on it and have been refused at least five times in the last eight years.”

Coun Hodgson said a letter had been sent to adjacent landowners some months back stating they were seeking change of use for all 27 acres. Coun Hodgson added: “That would be a major worry.”

Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart said: “A glance at the map shows the inappropriateness of this site for such a development.

“Villagers are understandably resentful of the idea that there might be one rule for one and another one for others. We need a level playing field, in which whether a traveller or part of the settled community you know you are playing by the same rules.”

As well as an objection from the parish council, a petition with 328 signatures has been sent to the council, along with 367 e-mails and letters.

The travellers, part of an extended Irish traveller family, made up of four households, including brothers Anthony, James and Hughie Doherty, who work as landscape gardeners and buy and sell horses, say they want to establish a base in the East Riding, with a fourth pitch for father Anthony Doherty senior and his two daughters.

Their application states: “They have not had a settled base before but wish to establish a base from which they can continue to travel, mainly in the summer, care for their horses and in due course obtain schooling for their children.”

They also say the four extra pitches would help meet the shortfall of 17 pitches for gypsies and travellers which are needed in the East Riding by 2015. For its part the council says the recent improvements and extensions at Woldgate, Bridlington and Eppleworth in Cottingham, and appeal decisions in favour of one pitch at Barmby and five at Snaith, means that by the end of the year they will be 1.5 pitches over target.

When the family first moved in, they declined to enter discussions with the councils’ gypsy liaison officer or the housing management officer. Planning officers are recommending refusal ahead of the meeting. They say the family hasn’t demonstrated that they meet the strict criteria which would allow a gypsy site in the countryside.

They state: “The National Gypsy Council provides affidavits to confirm genuine gypsy status, and no such document has been submitted with this application.”