Fridesewide Place in Kentish Town had been considered for a new Traveller site

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ELEVEN plots of unused land around the borough have been shortlisted as potential areas for new Traveller sites.

Local authorities have a legal duty to provide culturally appropriate accommodation and the Town Hall has hired consultants to find vacant sites and work out where best that would be.

A new “Local Plan” will soon be published with a plan for 16 new “pitches” – each pitch would be used by one household.

Camden currently has two Traveller sites, which are made up of different families living in caravans with a shared amenity block.

Former mayor Jenny Headlam-Wells has raised concerns about the consultation process

There are around 200 Travellers in the borough living in “housed” accommodation but many of them want to live on the communal sites.

“A bit more than half would prefer to live in culturally suitable accommodation,” said Nancy Hawker, policy and research officer at London Gypsies and Travellers.

“They have a human right to culturally suitable accommodation just as everybody does.

“For us it is culturally suitable to live in bricks and mortar. We would find it odd to live in caravans, but these are people with a nomadic heritage and a way of life that is expressed through living on communal sites.”

She added: “Over the years, traditional nomadism has been suppressed which has led to the formation of permanent Traveller sites.

“That’s why they need these sites to continue living this way of life through generations. Without it the culture is lost.

“They are being massively let down. The Carol Street and Castlehaven Road sites were built 30 years ago. Many family members have outgrown those sites.”

She added that there is a correlation between Travellers and Gypsies who live in standard housing and have worse mental and physical health.

Maggie Maughan at the Carol Street site

Ms Hawker estimated there may be around three sites chosen, to accommodate the pitches.

Some of the sites earmarked for further review by the council include Agar Grove, Finchley Road and St Mary’s Mews.

A suggested site in Frideswide Place, Kentish Town, is set to be taken off the council’s list following feedback from a consultation and further review from the council. But the idea had already hit opposition.

Ward councillor Jenny Headlam-Wells. the former mayor of Camden, said “we’re not objecting to the concept itself”, but added she was unhappy with the consultation process.

She said: “Great claims are made by officers and councillors about [how] we’re moving away from a silo mentality. This is the most egregious case of a silo mentality happening. Planning policy commissions a study by someone who’s never been there. Then no consultation at all with people who would be affected like the school, residents, businesses.

“They don’t have to sit in surgeries eyeball to eyeball with residents who are very seriously concerned about the effects of decisions.”

She said that without proper consultation, the site could “alienate parents and residents”, although added “I’m not making any comment whatsoever about that”.

Last night (Wednesday) – before the consultation officially ends – the council told the New Journal that following feedback from the consultation and further assessment work, the council will not be further recommending Frideswide Place for pitches.

Riz Shaikh and head chef Ben Allen at The Parakeet

Riz Shaikh, owner of the The Parakeet gastropub, said that there had not been enough consultation.

He said: “I’m a fan of the Traveller community. That’s what London’s about. That’s what makes Kentish Town special, the diversity.”

But he feared the site would lead to parking restrictions, an increase in motorists and problems accessing deliveries.

Mr Shaikh said: “That would be a complete nightmare. On top of that we just had Kentish Town Station closed, after Covid, it’s challenging. This business has been successful. We work very hard to achieve that.

“One of the reasons for its success is because of the ambience, it’s because of the clientele that we get.

Any community that suddenly lives at the back of my pub isn’t going to be great for ambience.

“It’s not a residential area and all of a sudden you’re creating a residential area at the back of a business.”
Ms Hawker emphasised Travellers are predominantly based on their permanent sites.

She said: “[A site] is not a gate with big cars going in and out all the time. People travel seasonally, maybe they go to Stow Horse Fair and Appleby Horse Fair. The kids are in local schools.

“It’s not going to be massively different from anyone else living in Kentish Town.”

Meanwhile, Maggie Maughan, who has lived on the Carol Street site for 36 years, said: “Travelling people were always out in the open air, and they’d sooner be out in caravans.

“All the kids would play with each other and there would always be someone to keep an eye on them. We all used to be out travelling years ago.

“That’s the way it was with Travellers. And putting them in the houses you see we’re losing all this culture.

“We’d love to get sites built because we need them for the families that have grown up.”

Ms Hawker added: “People have these preconceived ideas without visiting a site and talking to their own residents about it, before saying it’s unsuitable for them, ask them. They are your residents too.”

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We believe everyone in Camden deserves a place they can truly call home.

“As part of the preparation of the new Camden Local Plan, the Council’s main planning policy document, we are currently looking at possible locations for new traveller sites.

“This will help meet the need for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation in Camden, as required by law.

“We recently published a study to get community feedback on potential sites, with this input being crucial as we work towards finalising the Local Plan.

“The final draft Local Plan, including our recommendations for traveller sites, will be presented to the Council in April for discussion and approval.”

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