Park plan 'extremely worrying' - Travellers group

Plans to install bollards and sandstone boulders at a popular park are "extremely worrying", according to a charity supporting Gypsy and Traveller communities.

A consultation aimed at preventing "unauthorised vehicle access" on Roundhay Park in Leeds has come to an end and proposals will now be discussed by city councillors.

The authority said by "reducing access" it hoped to "reduce dangerous driving, damage to the park and fly-tipping."

Ellie Rogers, CEO of Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (GATE), said the measures were "upsetting" for the communities.

A decision on the plan is expected on 25 August.

If approved, 125 sandstone boulders, 909 linear metres of earth mounding, seven bollards, and five vehicle access barriers could be installed to prevent access onto Soldiers' Field and Connaught Field.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said unauthorised access to vehicles was "currently an issue on both Soldiers' Field and Connaught Field".

Rogers said she felt "disappointed" with the latest consultation, adding it was "not very solutions focused".

"Often Gypsy and Travellers are tarred with the same brush and it's the definition of racism to be like 'I had one experience with somebody therefore everybody is the same'.

"We know that there's plenty of people that aren't like that within the community."

One resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the proposals were "a good idea to protect the land".

"Especially from caravans that often do camp, there is such a mess when they have left, that is the problem.

"All the clearing up that has to be done is money that could be used on other things."

Taking a walk around the lakeside in Roundhay Park, Ian Evans agreed that the mess left behind was a problem.

"If they took everything with them, all the rubbish, people would have no problem with it."

Sara Dawson, vice chair of the Friends of Roundhay Park, said the group was "very supportive" of the council's proposals.

"It's not like these are vacant fields, they are used to generate income for the council and for the park so if you have illegal encampments on these fields it threatens people's livelihoods.

"We are a tolerant society, but when it threatens livelihoods, it's a difficult one."

Previous council measures to tackle unauthorised encampments include a height restriction at the Lido car park as well as boulders previously installed in areas of Roundhay Park.

Leeds GATE wants to see more sites built for Gypsy and Traveller families in Leeds.

The group's research found a need for 62 sites in West Yorkshire which "have not been delivered", according to Rogers.

"I think people feel like they are stuck between a rock and a hard place because they do not have anywhere to go," she said.

Rogers said setting up in places like Roundhay Park was often a last resort for members of the community, especially due to the social media attention it gets.

She recalls speaking to a young mum who was on an encampment in Roundhay Park.

"She didn't want to be there, she wanted a home but there wasn't anything available to her.

"There was a long waiting list and there isn't plots available.

"There's a housing crisis for everybody but for Gypsies and Travellers it's much more stark."

Deryck Piper was out on his weekly walk with his friends when he said Travellers "need to be able to pitch up somewhere because it is their style of life".

"The problem is tidying up afterwards, plus it then makes areas of the park inaccessible to others."

His friend Michael Lockley said: "There has also been an issue with unsociable parking there around Soldiers' Field.

"Not Travellers, people with large 4x4 vehicles driving onto the grassy areas and doing all sorts of things."

Leeds GATE believes negotiated stopping policies, already in use in Leeds, could be used to engage with families and would help with issues around waste.

The policy works when an encampment agrees to cooperate with the local authority, allowing them to stay on the land no longer than 28 days.

"I think we need to identify places across our city that nomadic families can stop for designated periods of time and work with those families to make sure that they have a good experience and that local communities have a good experience," Rogers said.

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: "Future tree planting by our Woodland Creation Teams will also be undertaken to provide successional tree planting which will further strengthen boundaries.

"Collectively these interventions will bring together longer-term visual, ecological and recreational benefits while preserving the open character of the site."

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