Traveller charity fires warning to council over ‘discrimination’

Attitudes harden in latest battle over 10-stance caravan park and halting site outside St Cyrus

A charity which supports the Travelling community has fired a warning shot at Aberdeenshire Council as attitudes harden against a retrospective application for St Cyrus.

The Traveller Movement said it would be following developments closely “to make sure these applicants are not discriminated against because they belong to the Traveller community”.

It comes after retrospective planning applications were lodged for a 10-stance caravan park and halting site at North Esk Park in the latest stage in a five-year fight for approval.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has since reinforced its objection to the retrospective plans on the grounds of “flood risk to people and property” and said it did not think anything could change its position.

The charity said: “The Traveller Movement supports this application.

“The council should take into consideration that this site has been a home for 12 families for years.

“If the application is refused these families will end up on the roadside.

“The children will then come out of education and it will negatively affect their health and wellbeing.”

The charity said the UK Government has failed in its duty to build enough sites for Travellers and the “wellmaintained and peaceful site” at North Esk Park should be “looked at as a success and given planning permission”.

“We will be following this process to make sure these applicants are not discriminated against because they belong to the Traveller community”.

Despite a protracted legal battle between the Travellers and Aberdeenshire Council, development on the unauthorised site has continued since the first homes appeared on farmland close to the site in 2013.

Aberdeenshire councillors voted overwhelmingly to grant retrospective permission for the creation of an official halting site in 2016.

However, the application was called in by the Scottish Government when Sepa objected after revealing the site had flooded in 2002, 2012, 2013 and 2015.

Scottish ministers overturned the retrospective permission and the Travellers were given until July 31 to clear the site.

The local authority then agreed to extend the deadline by six months and has been involved in “continued dialogue” with the community.

Enforcement action has been put on hold until the two fresh planning applications are considered.

The retrospective applications will initially be considered by Kincardine and Mearns area committee before determination by Aberdeenshire Council – potentially at its April 25 meeting.

The children will then come out of education and it will negatively affect their health and wellbeing. TRAVELLER MOVEMENT

Picture: Gareth Jennings. An overview of the Travellers’ site at North Esk Park near Montrose.