General Chat

Coming Soon To A Village Near To You !!

When the fields behind where we now live were for sale some neighbours clubbed together to buy them.

This wasn't specifically to keep them "safe" from travellers who were trying to buy them but to keep them safe from all building. If we'd lived here then and we could have afforded it we'd have done the same if I'm honest.

We look out over open fields and pastures where buzzards and kestrels hunt and horses graze. Worth preserving to me.

We live very near Meriden where travellers have moved in and are trying to lay concrete etc but the villagers have blocked the roads to prevent them doing any more. The council may well have to grant the travellers planning permission, though, because Warwickshire has no official sites.

Gwynne

I also wonder what will happen next-will they move into another Hampshire village (or anywhere) and expect a £250.000 payout ?

Was it really that much ? !

Need to reply to Frank re the site being stripped of anything of value.

Daughter deals with Environmental contamination - a couple of years ago there was an illegal occupation of a large acreage by 'greens'. They occupied the land in protest about a proposed new pipeline. Once they had gone the tax payer was left with a clean up bill costing millions to remove human waste, soiled nappies etc., and sanitising the land by removing a hell of a lot of topsoil.

Just another view on who is considered a 'good' occupier of land.

Sue

Ok for the villagers, and shows that people do have the power to get what they want, but in reality, although it has removed the 'problem' from Ropley, all they have done is pass the 'problem' on to someone else.

I do have to ask one question though. Were they bought out because they were travellers per se, or did the villagers at least TRY to integrate them into village life first?

A few years ago a site for sixteen caravans was created with the required shower, toilet facilities, and it was well done and blended in nicely with the surroundings.

This was well used through the winter and come one weekend in spring, the travellers had moved on but not before removing anything of value from the site which included copper piping, toilet fittings etc.

As so often happens, the few spoil things for everyone else as the site has been left in disrepair ever since.

Ropley is a village off the A31 (with 2 pubs on it), but the main village is a series of houses along mainly sunken one-track lanes.
I know someone who lives there. Their house is set up above the road, the only parking for them and their neighbours is a space that has been cut into the bank, that 3 cars can park in. If they have more than 1 visitor, you have to park at the pub and walk half a mile along the narrow lane.
Meet a tractor and you're climbing the bank!

Some groups bring it on themselves as to why they arent wanted in residential areas,,,,no one wants their way of life changing but some groups decimate areas to an unhealthy level.
All have a right to live a peacful life,would I want some groups living nr me knocking thousands of pounds off my well earned property as Ive seen round and about a firm NO.
so if this was the case in Ropley then villigers were acting rightly in their vested interest,

Some years ago a developer built a small housing estate in our village. enclosed paddocks As a sweetner, he offered the village a small very old orchard and 4 small paddocks that were alongside the orchard.

The village were up in arms when the Parish Council turned the offer down..........But....because this sweetner was on the very outskirts of the village and not easily seen, the Parish Council were concerned that Romanies/travellers would move in without being seen.

If the village owned this land it would be up to the village to get them off....we would not be able to afford the legal bill or the hassle that would ensue.

The local District Council now own it, but for use of the vilage, so we have the pleasure but not the £££ that comes with it.

Here's the Telegraph link - may be better than the local 'rag' - also has a picture!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenpolitics/planning/7728702/Villagers-club-together-to-buy-out-gipsy-family.html

Ropley is in Hampshire

For some reason can't pick up the article.

Not sure I know where Ropley is Maggie, where is it near?

Difficult one Maggie, not living near Ropley I can say, the travellers have to live somewhere. But unfortunately many of them have mad all of them unpopular as neighbours. Also it is galling when they have been able to walk all over our laws while residents of the villages they set up near are abiding by planning laws.

I think, if they stick to planning laws, buy the land legitimately and pay all the dues the rest of us do and send their children to school etc then to let them settle may be a good thing.

I haven't read the article but the groups tend to be different depending on whether they are Romany or Irish travellers. However, all aspects of society have their bad apples.

VILLAGERS have paid out around £250,000 to stop a travellers’ site being set up near their homes.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8162810.Villagers_pay_out___250_000_to_stop_travellers/?ref=rss

Ropley is a small village 12 miles east of Winchester


Right or wrong?