Land owner defends travellers

The owner of a controversial site for travellers in Pilton has fiercely defended his tenants' right to be there.

Robert Williams, who has owned and managed the site off Cock and Bull Drove, for the last 15 years, said this week: "My residents are an established part of the community. Of the 15 adults living there three are disabled and claiming state benefits – the 12 remaining adults are all contributing to the local economy."

Mr Williams was hitting back after angry residents, protesting about the site, armed themselves with banners bearing pictures of cocks and bulls at a recent Pilton Parish Council meeting.

Parish councillors have recommended refusal of Mr Williams' application for permission to regularise the current use of the site and provide 11 permanent and three transit pitches on it.

Residents argue the site does not have permission and also voiced concerns about access, road safety and traffic dangers with vehicles coming in and out of the entrance.

But this week Mr Williams told the Shepton Mallet Journal that it was Mendip District Council that had asked him to increase the number of pitches.

He said: "We currently have 11 pitches on the site – Mendip asked us to have an additional three temporary pitches. The minimum we need are the 11 pitches for the current established residents. I feel 13 pitches is the maximum we could accommodate with our facilities."

Mr Williams also argued that neighbour Chris Strickland, who owns the access up Cock and Bull Drove to the site, had no objections at all about his residents using it.

Mr Williams claims he and his residents have been subjected to intimidation and false allegations of criminal activity including chopping down trees and breaking fences. "We have not had any prosecutions for any of the alleged activities," he said.

Mr Williams said he was also angered by allegations that he "paid people" who wrote letters of support for his application. And he claims he is a victim of "an organised slander campaign by NIMBY's." "I don't pay anybody to get my planning applications through," he added.

And he said if the allegations, threats of intimidation and slander continue he will take legal action. He said he had reported all the incidents to the police.

Mr Williams also pointed out that five years ago the parish council actually supported the site being there – permission was refused by Mendip but no enforcement action was ever taken to shut it down.

He says he is also heartened by Mendip's recent decision to grant Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis retrospective permission for 10 permanent pitches and two transit pitches on farmland at Ridge Hill Park at Lambert's Hill in Pilton.

That application also attracted objections but was reluctantly approved by Mendip's Planning Board last month after planning officer Ed Baker warned councillors it would be very difficult to find a sound planning reason to justify refusal. Mendip is under pressure to provide sites across the district to meet the growing need for traveller pitches. And speaking about the Ridge Hill site Mr Baker warned any refusal would be difficult to defend at appeal.

Mr Williams' application is due to come before Mendip's Planning Board for a decision on January 26. In the meantime he has sought support from MP Tessa Munt and been encouraged by her response so far and he said: "I hope all the threats and intimidation will stop, and I just hope justice and common sense will prevail."

Source: http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/glastonburyfestival/Land-owner-defends-travellers/article-3029519-detail/article.html

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