John Baron

Conservative Party | Billericay and District

John Baron MP formally objects to travellers’ Terminus Drive appeal

MP cites location, ‘safe-guarding direction’, pedestrian safety, 5000 signature petition and questions legitimacy of Appellants name

Today, John Baron MP formally objected to a planning appeal by the Dale Farm travellers against Basildon Council’s decision to refuse their proposed move from Cray’s Hill to Terminus Drive, Pitsea. The matter is now being considered by the Planning Inspectorate based in Bristol, which will advise the Secretary of State on a final outcome.

Outlining his opposition, John said:

“Terminus Drive is far from ideal as a location for residential development – its proximity to the railway and flyover, a lack of access onto the public highway, the governments ‘safe-guarding direction’, infringement of pedestrian safety and poor drainage all combine to make this site unsuitable.”

“Meanwhile, we must not reward these Dale Farm travellers with a new site at Terminus Drive after they ignored planning regulations at Crays Hill. They should now peacefully move on outside the District, for Basildon Council already provides more traveller sites and pitches than any other council in Essex. This responsibility needs to be shared more fairly across the region.”

“It was John Prescott who first suggested a traveller site at Terminus Drive. If the Government now sides with the travellers it will be ignoring the 5,000 signature petition I organised and presented to him back in 2006. It will also allow travellers to queue-jump the many hundreds of people waiting patiently on the Council’s housing list, whilst being unfair on all those local residents who do obey planning laws.”

John also raised concerns about the legitimacy of the Appellant in the appeal:

“I have asked the Inspector to check that Dale Farm Housing Association is in fact registered as such, as I cannot find any evidence to suggest that this is indeed a legitimate social housing association.”