Council is unable to stop travellers returning to park
CHELTENHAM Borough Council has admitted it is powerless to stop travellers coming back to Pittville Park.
Members of a group left the Cheltenham park last Wednesday, August 7, having been on part of it off Tommy Taylor’s Lane since Monday when they set up an unauthorised camp.
Their departure followed the council getting an eviction notice from the town’s magistrates because they did not leave when asked to by the authority.
It was the second time in two years that travellers had set up camp on that part of the park, which is easily accessible to vehicles from Tommy Taylor’s Lane and Albemarle Gate,
Asked if the council planned to do anything to physically stop the same thing happening in the future, it said it did not.
A council spokeswoman said: “The open nature of Pittville Park means that it’s impractical to add a physical barrier around the boundary without also obstructing public access and ruining
its beautiful listed landscape. For now the council relies upon prompt enforcement of the law to make sure that unlawful traveller camps move on quickly.”
There are four dedicated councilowned sites for use by travellers in the county. There are also many privately owned sites.
The county council owned sites are: Willows, Sandhurst Lane, Gloucester, 46 plots; Cursey Lane, Elmstone Hardwicke, 19 plots; Showborough, Twyning near Tewkesbury, 10 plots; Culkerton, near Tetbury, 4 plots.
All of the council-owned sites are full currently and there is a waiting list.