Testun llawn:
General. Then Specifically GT12.
People are encouraged to integrate into society, why then do we have exclusive sites for gypsies and travellers (G & T's)?
The schools will be told to hold places for G & T children. When the children do not attend, will they be fined?
It is commonly known that children of G & T's affect the learning process of other children in a school; most do not have the same standards, and therefore slow the whole education process for all.
G & T's have often taken over land that they have no right to be on, and leave a mess when they are finally evicted. This has to be cleared up, often at the taxpayers expense. Example; car park opposite Warwick School, which cost over £8000 to clear and the loss of car park revenue, Hareway Lane and Banbury Road field, Warwick and many sites in Leamington.
If sites are to be provided, who will ensure health and safely is adhered to, and if they, by definition are travellers, who will ensure they abide by rules and regulations, and not just leave with a trail of unpaid bills and a mess for others to clear up and pay for?
Who ensures that the premises and/or caravans are not overcrowded?
In my house deeds, I am not allowed to have a caravan on my property. How do G & T's get this facility?
Who is going to police the sites? The police are known to be very reluctant to enter these sites.
Who is going to ensure rates are paid to the local authority, electricity and water? If a bill is not paid, will you be able to trace the defaulter if they have left the site?
How do travellers pay their taxes, if they do not have a permanent address? If they want healthcare, schools, roads, police and fire services, surely they have to contribute to the state coffers?
The specific site in Barford. (GT12)
The land potentially allocated to the site in Barford is good agricultural land. How can it be allocated to G & T sites, or any other use?
Barford is a very exclusive place to live, and is in the top ten in a recent survey. It has diverse housing and people aspire to live in the village, by saving and striving to better themselves. Why can people not doing this be given a right to instantly domicile in the village, and have no connection with the locality?
The land proposed in Barford possibly has one of the best positions for miles; looking over the River Avon and across the Sherbourne basin. If a house were to be built there, it would command a massive premium.
Having a G & T site, with caravans on a main artery to Stratford and the Cotswolds will not be a very good advertisement, and it could effect tourism in this important area.
There are two pubs in the village. It is known that when G & T's visit a town or village, the pubs close, for safety reasons. Example Kenilworth. I fear for the survival of these local amenities.
The cost of providing services to the proposed sites would be prohibitive and uneconomic. Who pays for this if the development goes ahead?
The Barford by-pass has fast moving traffic, and is not easily crossed by either traffic or pedestrians. Currently little pedestrian traffic is using it, and therefore the danger to people and vehicles is kept to a minimum. Having a site on the side of this road will increase the pedestrian, and vehicle use exponentially.
The site cannot be adequately screened, as the close proximity of the by-pass does not allow it. It would be excessively noisy for inhabitants.
There are no doctors surgeries for miles, and no dentists in close proximity.