Mistake to put travellers on Weymouth sites (From Dorset Echo)

Mistake to put travellers on Weymouth sites

11:27am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Your letters

I refer to the public consultation on gypsy and traveller sites for land adjacent to the civic amenity area at Lodmoor Park and land by the park and ride in Weymouth.

We acknowledge that the sites are either to be temporary stopping places or transit temporary sites (permanent sites) and that this is viewed as a useful tool for the police to move on travellers quicker.

However, the detriment to the local area is insurmountable.

Living close to both of these suggested sites – one being visible from inside our house, the other visible when we walk through our local area near Weymouth Rugby Club – our concerns are raised not only in respect of our close area but the residents who live closer to the sites and Weymouth in general.

It has been widely reported over many years that travellers/gypsies and those without permanent addresses cause many problems.

This has only recently been shown in respect of Dale Farm and problems encountered there, which was once a transit/stop site.

Over this last summer Weymouth and Portland had to endure and suffer very small numbers of travellers in different locations.

These caused noise, vandalism, increased rubbish, disruption and generally unacceptable anti-social behaviour, regardless of the stigma of crime and its increase.

It is unbelievable that Weymouth has been finalised as the only place in Dorset to now be considered for this invasion.

Is this because we are becoming a ghost town with not many prospects and it’s therefore okay to put the final nail in the coffin with having these types of sites.

The town is dying due to mismanagement of previous council input and changes, to have any recognised traveller sites near to Weymouth town or its surrounding residents should be considered as totally unacceptable.

Anyone who lives near Weymouth invests in the area in some way and we all deserve to continue to live in a relatively safe, low-crime beautiful area without being subjected to how these people live and the consequences of sites being approved.

They will contribute to the area and only cause residents to worry every day about anti-social behaviour, crime, rubbish and total disregard for local residents.

Both areas where the sites are being considered are near particular areas of beauty and have some wonderful wild life, which we should be protecting and enhancing, not increasing the chances of such wildlife leaving the area.

They are also areas where locals enjoy visiting free and fee-paying attractions. We will no longer enjoy feeling safe to stroll around if traveller sites are there, thus impacting on businesses.

We hope that all protests will be recognised and upheld and no traveller sites are granted in/around Weymouth and Portland.

Mr & Mrs Trigwell, Eastdown Avenue, Weymouth