Traveller sites meeting in Flitton

The local Parish Council held a meeting concerning the current consultation by Mid Beds District Council on Traveller and Gipsy sites. There must have been several hundred people inside and outside the village hall last night (I hear the estimate is 500). Certainly the most I have seen in a village meeting in my 12 years in Flitton! The meeting was chaired by Nick Thompson who, with the help of others in the Parish Council, had done a terrific job organising it at such short notice . Also in attendance were Nadine Dorries local Conservative MP, Cllr Patricia Turner leader of the District Council, Cllr Richard Stay deputy leader of the County Council.

The meeting was tense with obviously some real concerns amongst most people about the proposed sites in and around Flitton, Greenfield and Pulloxhill. There was much discussion about the politics behind the current situation, with claims that a Conservative Government would take away the obligation imposed by the current Government on a local council to find sites. Even if true this seemed to miss the point of the meeting, which was to address how best to respond to the current consultation. This is a local issue and the key thing is to make sure everyone does respond to the consultation. Questionaires were being given out at the meeting but for those who didnt get a one they can be downloaded at http://www.midbeds.gov.uk/services/planning/local_plan/gypsy_and_traveller_development_plan_document.asp

We all need to respond even though the present consultation for proposed sites is seriously flawed. Some of the sites seem to have been chosen almost at random (this certainly applies to some of the County Council owned sites which have now been withdrawn). The sustainability appraisal for the sites which accompanies the consultation is full of errors and inconsistencies. There is much reference to local facilites (such as shops and healthcare) which these villages don't have. The questionaire is not easy to fill in and does not allow enough space for commenting on the potential impacts of the proposed sites on the local environment and community. Nor does it address the key sustainability criteria set out in "Circular 01/06 (ODPM): Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites" which can be found on the Governments DCLG web. site http://www.communities.gov.uk/

I will be filling in the questionaire but also writing to the Council to suggest they take the sustainability of the sites more seriously and that they re-consult us properly once they have a had a chance to digest the huge response they get from this first round.