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Short stay travellers site - Niall Greenwood (20th Sep 2006 - 10:38:06) I understand that discussions are underway to look at establishing a short stay travellers site in East Hants: http://www.easthants.gov.uk/travellers Niall

Re: Short stay travellers site - Niall Greenwood (20th Sep 2006 - 15:53:13) I notice that since my posting this morning EHDC's website has been updated, removing the dates and locations of the 'community forums'. The site now provides reassurance that there will be 'full public consultation' - as of this morning we were, apparently, half way through the four community forums, with one having taken place in Grayshott last night. As for planning applications it seems that we only find out about these proposals by chance!

Re: Short stay travellers site - Allan (20th Sep 2006 - 18:00:00) Hi Niall, Seems to be the way of it. I recall that it was only by chance that we found out about the bridge closure by Liphook Golf Club last year, and that cost the local business community untold thousands of pounds in revenue. Keep your eyes skinned!!

Re: Short stay travellers site - Paul Robinson (21st Sep 2006 - 22:14:53) So there you have it. Having a Government sponsored web site allows you to publish stuff that you hope no one will either see or comment upon and if, in the unlikely event, that someone does alight upon and question, you can revise the details before it frightens the horses. Come on Liphook, wake up. Paul Robinson.

Re: Short stay travellers site - barbara (29th Sep 2006 - 15:53:45) If indeed the idea of short stay traveller sites becomes reality in Hampshire, not only will we be paying council tAx for Liphookians but people from everywhere. What is stort stay 1 night or 5 years? who would police these places- would they need planning permission?

Re: Short stay travellers site - Chris (4th Oct 2006 - 12:00:29) According to Tom Horwood of East Hampshire District Council, short stay is up to 28 days. If you look at the website it gives a map of potential areas. However the map is virtually unreadable.

Re: Short stay travellers site - Chris (5th Oct 2006 - 04:57:37) EHDC will post a map of potential sites if anyone is interested. Request via e mail to: travellers@easthants.gov.uk (Tom Horwood East Hampshire District Council Penns Place, Petersfield GU31 4EX).

Re: Short stay travellers site - Tom Horwood (13th Oct 2006 - 09:40:42) To clarify an earlier posting: we do not have a map of potential sites, because we have not finished identifying potential sites. The map we have shows areas that are excluded by the criteria, rather than specific sites. The criteria can be found at www.easthants.gov.uk/travellers. There is also some new info on that page about sites that have been looked at and excluded because the criteria ruled them out. When we have a short list of sites we shall consult on them, but we're not at that stage yet. Keep an eye on the web page for updates.

Re: Short stay travellers site - Niall Greenwood (14th Oct 2006 - 05:10:10) The EHDC site now lists a series of 'excluded' which whilst not giving any indication of where the proposed short stay site(s) might be, at least says where they will not be - which is a start!

Re: Short stay travellers site - Tom Horwood, EHDC (25th Oct 2006 - 09:47:33) TRAVELLERS SITE DISCUSSIONS PUT BACK East Hampshire’s quest for a short-stay site for travellers has been put on ice until at least summer 2007 because of new announcements at regional level. In September, the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) confirmed that it will be looking at the provision of sites for travellers across the region as part of its work developing the South East Plan. Councillor Patrick Burridge, East Hampshire’s portfolio holder for development, said: “We still want to identify a short-stay site for travellers because it will help police clear illegal sites on public land. We have already said that we do not want to go it alone without other councils working with us, in case East Hampshire became a magnet for travellers, so I welcome the opportunity to take part in a regional initiative. It is really important that we get this right and it makes sense to slot into the SEERA process and timetable. It would be foolish to rush this process.” SEERA intends to publish its proposals for how many pitches should be in each district in December 2007, and then hold a 12-week public consultation. Before then, it will be inviting councils to comment on the accommodation needs of gypsies and travellers. Working together, Hampshire councils had already commissioned a study into travellers’ housing needs. This is due to be published on 28 November 2006, and will then be discussed by the county and district councils’ gypsy and traveller liaison group before they pass the results to SEERA by June 2007. That group will also continue to work on a coordinated Hampshire strategy for travellers. The council’s business director, Bill Price, said: “A lot has happened since we agreed our criteria for a short-stay site in January this year. The situation is quite different to a year ago and we have recommended to councillors that we pause for a while. When we discussed our proposals at two public meetings in East Hampshire, local residents were very clear about the need for us to work closely with other government bodies, and so we are happy to take account of what is going on in neighbouring areas and review progress in the summer. Until then, we will not be doing any more work on identifying potential sites.” The council’s working group, which includes councillors from both political parties, officers from the district and county councils, and the police, had been looking at potential sites to compare against the agreed criteria. Two weeks ago, the council published a list of those sites that had been rejected by the group. It posted the list on its website and sent it to the media after a local newspaper and a member of the public had asked for the full list of sites. The council held back details of three privately-owned sites because disclosure would be likely to harm the commercial interests of the landowner and the council. The council stated that, if a transaction could not proceed or if the terms were unfair, it would not be in the public interest. The council believes it would not be fair to the landowners to reveal that their land has been considered, especially as none of the landowners has yet responded. These reasons still stand, although the council will not now be pursuing the landowners for the time being. Bill Price added: “We are committed to holding a full public consultation before any final decisions are made about any site’s location. This has been our approach all along. It is why we held two initial meetings in public and then listened to what residents were telling us before holding any more. We will continue to be open, and provide all the information we can in good time and make sure that local people have plenty of opportunity to make their views known.” The council’s webpage on this consultation can be found at www.easthants.gov.uk/travellers. It includes the current agreed criteria and the list of rejected sites. ENDS

Re: Short stay travellers site - Chris (26th Oct 2006 - 04:30:16) Thank-you for the update. One question springs to mind and that is just how much council tax money has been and is being spent on all these committees, the debating time and so on to achieve this? Must be a fair bit. Four traveller families took it upon themselves to hole up in the car park of Whitman Laboratories on the Petersfield Industrial Estate over the week-end. These weren't battered caravans drawn by non-roadworthy vehicles but spanking new mobile homes towed by new and expensive 4x4 vehicles. Are you considering means testing the individuals you are trying to do so much for so as to recoup some of the cost of providing these "legal" sites?

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