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Fierce opposition to the Bessingby Hill gypsy site - COMMENT ON THIS STORY
'NOT on our doorstep' was the message delivered to council officials as resident's tempers flared over plans to build a gypsy site on Bessingby Hill.
Designs for the 1.4million scheme went on display for public consultation at Bridlington Sports Centre last Wednesday, but the scheme met with fierce opposition from many local residents.
Wright Close resident, Shirley Matthews, 74, whose house would look out onto the new site, confronted East Riding of Yorkshire Council officials including the scheme's principal architect Andy Hazell and demanded to know whether they would be happy with 'a load of gypsies living in their back yard'.
"It's bad enough as it is with them on Woldgate," she said. "I daren't go down that road anymore because I feel so intimidated by the gypsies.
"I have lived in Bridlington all my life, I have worked hard to buy my house and I am devastated at the thought that there may be hundreds of gypsies practically overlooking my back garden.
"If I ever wanted to sell the house, who would buy it? Who wants to live behind a giant gypsey site?
"They are noisy, leave rubbish all over the place and have horses roaming around, tell me why I should have to live with that?"
Her views were echoed by Rana Cain and her daughter Tracy, 27, also of Wright Close who said: "The first time we heard about the plan was in the Free Press, we didn't get any letters about it or anything, and I wonder how many people actually know what the council are planning.
"I can't believe that they would undo all the regeneration efforts in Bridlington by putting a gypsy site at the top of the hill by a main entrance into the town.
"People driving into Brid will see it and turn straight back round again, I know I would!"
Farmer Paul Jackson, who owns the land surrounding the proposed site, said that he 'didn't have an issue' with the gypsies getting a new site but believed that it should be blended into the landscape, not on top of a hill.
"I have always been the kind of person who believes that you should fight hard against things you don't believe in.
"I hope the people of Bridlington will stand up and be counted on this issue and then hopefully we can get the site moved to somewhere more suitable for everybody."
The scheme did have some support in the form of Lindsey Jones of Cottingham who works for a Lottery-funded project, Hidden Voices, which fights for the rights of the traveller community.
"The council has a legal obligation to provide an acceptable living space for them," she said.
"Many people don't seem to realise that the travellers pay rent and council tax while providing their own accommodation.
"They are basically paying up to 83 a week for what is effectively a slab of concrete and the facilities at Woldgate are appalling.
"It is like a prison training camp. There are children playing on land that is leaking toxic gases.
"Gypsies are a minority group and people are prejudice and racist against them, you could not treat any other ethnic group in the way that travellers are treated and get away with it.
"People think it's fine to shove travellers' sites on old quarry pits or toxic land and expect them to live there, but they are human beings and they pay rent and council tax just like everyone else."
Andy Hazell, the council's principal architect and surveyor for the site said: "I am interested to get Bridlington people's opinions in terms of the scheme.
"This is the design for the site and the site location, but it isn't signed, sealed and delivered, there hasn't been an application put forward yet."
Once a proposal has been submitted and accepted, the council must complete work on the new gypsy site by the end of December this year as part of the terms for receiving the 1.4million in Government funding.
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Weather for Bridlington
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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