Brighton court orders travellers to leave

Travellers camped by the Brighton bypass have been ordered to leave by a judge.

Dozens of adults and children have been tolerated at the site off Devil’s Dyke Road over much of the summer by Brighton and Hove City Council.

They were given notice to quit a month ago and today the council sought a possession order at Brighton County Court for the site which is known as 19 Acres.

Councillor Pete West, the council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “We think that this helps demonstrate that our ‘firm but fair’ approach to travellers provides a more flexible balance between the needs of both travellers and the settled community.

“We tolerated this encampment for a short-term period over the summer to prevent the group creating an encampment in a more sensitive location elsewhere in the city.

“This is part of a more pragmatic way of managing the normal summer increase in travellers and does not mean that every encampment will be tolerated.

“We take a firm but fair approach in dealing with encampments that respects the nomadic lifestyle and needs of traveller communities and balances this with the needs of local residents.

“To do this we may need to provide an alternative stopping place for travellers that minimises the impact upon local communities and at the same time take a more pro-active enforcement approach to limit unauthorised encampments.

“We want to hear from residents how they think we should balance the needs of travellers with the settled community and have a consultation happening where you can have your say.

“We aim to identify a permanent site by the end of the year which will go a long way towards easing some of the tensions the lack of sites for travellers visiting the city can create.”

Last Sunday more than 200 people held a peaceful protest in Happy Valley in Woodingdean, hoping to persuade the council to rule it out as a possible site .