10:50am Thursday 18th March 2010
By Rebecca Cain
A WOMAN who lives at one of the travellers' sites put forward by Wycombe District Council said “it is only about legalising the home that we have had.”
At Stokenchurch Parish Council last night the daughter of Nelson Curtis who lives in one of the three caravans at Five Oaks Farm in Studley Green spoke about her upset at signs being put up in the village objecting to the site.
She said: “It is just to be an existing home for the residents who have been living there for the past 26 years.
“There were appalling signs saying 'Stop travellers sites here- object to this.' My son who is going to school says 'Mummy am I going to be thrown out of school?'
“It is getting out of hand now. I am just hoping it is going to calm down.”
At a WDC cabinet committee meeting on March 8 councillors voted to allow travellers or gypsies sites at Dry Banks in Oxford Road, Stokenchurch and Five Oaks Farm in Studley Green.
Acting chairman of the parish council Malcolm Penny said these sites still need to be ratified this Friday before going through the normal planning procedure.
One parishioner expressed concern about the site expanding if it was allowed to stay. He said: “Talking about controls on the site I want to know personally what the controls are which will come into planning.”
Councillor Chris Elliott said: “It is going to go through the planning procedure. Both sites are in the AONB and they are also in the Green Belt. No matter what happens people are going to have to do some serious work to overturn those.”
Another daughter of Nelson Curtis, who also lives at the site, added: “My father is 77 years old and he doesn't need this aggro. He has been in this community all his life and he gets on with everybody. He has never had any trouble and nobody has had any qualms with him.”
Cllr Elliott said: “Just remember if we weren't born in this village we are all travellers. Why not live and let live and let them live their lifestyle?”
Spokesman for WDC Ben Jackson said: “Following the recent Cabinet meeting, Wycombe District Council is now in position to deliver on the government requirement to meet the reasonable needs of the travelling community.
“Its Interim Policy Statement (IPS) has a range of criteria against which proposals would be assessed as well as proposing two sites: a new site at Dry Banks in Stokenchurch and an existing site at Five Oaks Farm in Studley Green.”
Aylesbury MP David Lidington will be at Longburrow Hall in Stokenchurch tomorrow at 2pm regarding the travellers' site. All are welcome to attend.
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