GYPSY traveller Andrew West made an impassioned plea in front of a packed public gallery on behalf of his family at tonight’s meeting of Thurrock Council’s planning committee, calling on the authority to recognise they were “human beings” not terrorists reports The Thurrock Enquirer.
However, councillors rejected a plan for five pitches for Gypsies and Travellers on land to the rear of Malvern Road in Grays.
Before he spoke, the committee heard that 162 letters of objection had been received against the application and a residents’ spokesperson and a ward councillor spoke against it.
Council planning officer Jonathan Keen had told the committee that the application was not perceived by the authority to be acceptable. “It is within the greenbelt, the applicants have put forward their case but they do not outweigh the harm to the greenbelt,” he said.
Ward councillor Rob Gledhill spoke against the application and said: “This is simply a planning application in the green belt that should be rejected. It has not meant any criteria need to meet special circumstances.
“The whole community believe this application should be refused. Our residents in Little Thurrock are against inappropriate development and the loss of their countryside.”
The meeting was then addressed by applicant Mr Andrew West who said: “I am a Romany gypsy. We have owned this land for over ten years. The aim of my life was to come here and I want to bring my family to the modern world., We used to travel but we cannot do that and now I want my family to be educated and settle and I pray you give us a chance. We are not here to kill
“There are 160 people in arms against us. It’s as if we are terrorists. We are human beings.”
However, the committee members unanimously rejected the application. As the many local residents left the Council Chamber, where there was standing room only, a woman who accompanied Mr West addressed the press gallery and shouted: “This is a hate crime. We will not put up with this. Watch what happens now.”
As a resident of Malvern Road I was at the meeting. Mr West gave a very passioate speech.
However, residents of Malvern Road have suffered intimidation and threats. The headline of this article only goes to prove my point. After the meeting we were confronted and told “we are not going anywhere you are racist” all in front of our Councillor. This was most unpleasent and totally unnecessary. A full recording of the meeting is available from the council I doubt you will find any racist terminology or any evidence of a hate crime.
I hope the police are aware of this threat. Residents have been concerned of repercussions for a while. The decision was the correct one.
Yes, it might have been a passionate address but it was also inaccurate. The gypsies do not own the land and you do not have to be homed in a permanent place to access the internet, which seemed to be their reasoning for wanting to be there. Their application was also littered with inaccuracies.
…and so it begins.
Will YourThurrock still be reporting on this site in 3, 5 or even 10 years time?
At 6.30am this morning, a police raid took place on this site, resulting in the arrest of one of the travellers. When will Thurrock Council remove these illegal squatters????