Anger over Hemley Hill site near Princes Risborough (From Bucks Free Press)

Anger over Hemley Hill site near Princes Risborough

10:44am Tuesday 7th July 2009 in

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CHILDREN are taking drugs to sleep and a resident was taken to hospital with stress because of an illegal travellers' site, furious Princes Risborough residents told councillors last night.

They hit out at members of Wycombe District Council over their handling of the site at Hemley Hill, Shootacre Lane near Princes Risborough.

Travellers moved in over the Easter weekend when council officers were on holiday and created an access across the field and began to put up fences.

The council got a High Court injunction banning further work and are now considering a planning application which would make the site legal.

Shootacre Lane resident Suzanne Weir told last night’s full council meeting: “Why hasn’t the council taken every possible step to prevent further development in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and green belt and restore the site to its former state?”

This was vital “given that a resident has already been treated in hospital for stress, that children are under medical care because they can’t sleep” and refuse was being thrown into gardens, she said.

She told the Bucks Free Press her 14-year-old son had been prescribed drowsy-inducing antihistamines to sleep. Mrs Weir said she did not know of other children needing this care.

And independent councillor Gary Hall said a person he believed to be a traveller from the site was “extremely violent and abusive” to a “retirement age” woman at a car boot fair.

He said: “That’s why the town council feel we need CCTV to cover Princes Risborough.”

Bledlow & Bradenham councillor David Devine said the field was “an almighty building site” and was a “living nightmare” for residents.

The Conservative said officers had “worked tirelessly” to stop it and asked what could be done to stop further developments over holiday periods.

And Upper Icknield Way resident Ken Wise asked “what steps the council are taking to solve this problem as soon as possible” in respect of finding a separate, legal site for the travellers.

Responding to Mrs Weir, planning boss Jean Teesdale, said: “I do understand you concerns. We fully realise the situation you are all in and we do sympathise.”

Councillor Teesdale, cabinet member for planning and sustainability, said it would “do everything, I promise you, that is legally possible” to sort this out.

Yet it had been made “more difficult” by the travellers owning the land. “I know what you are going through,” she said.

She told Mr Wise a consultation is open on finding future legal sites (see link, below).

Yet she said it was “going to be a very difficult task” to find these in Wycombe district given it is “surrounded” by the protected Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and green belt land.

Yet she said the council had to be “proportionate and reasonable bearing in mind the circumstances of the occupiers”.

An “out of hours” service was available to get hold of officers outside of office hours, she said.

Guidance from the council (see link below), says it has to take into consideration the European Convention on Human Rights.

Mr Hall urged the council to take over the running costs of all CCTV cameras from Princes Risborough Town Council.

Councillor Tony Green, responsible for CCTV cash, said WDC paid for five town centre cameras but the town council cameras had not met its criteria for funding.