A group of travellers who have been living on land in a village near Coventry for 7 years are now set to be kicked off it. 
Rugby Borough Council has turned down planning permission for 25 caravans and 6 new amenity blocks at the site at Top Park near Top Road in Barnacle.
81 people currently on the land have been told they cannot stay there as there are places on official sites nearby.
They do have the right to appeal, but if they lose, an enforcement notice is likely to be made where police will forcibly remove them.
Around 300 objections were made against the planning application – one of the those came from campaigner Stephen White, who says they community is hoping to get its countryside back:
“It’s easily viewable from many areas, there are many viewpoints along the Coventry Way where it ruins the visual amenity of the area. To have that back as it was would be wonderful.
The travellers have had temporary planning permission granted twice for the site and Stephen says the decision proves it’s time they looked elsewhere:
“The residents of the site have continually appealed, never accepted a decision when it has gone against them. As these decisions have always stated that this is an unsuitable site they should accept that.”
Just down the road from Top Park travellers are deciding whether to appeal a High Court Order preventing them from building on land they moved onto last September after council planners turned down an application.
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:34 am