Guildford's Travellers look to the future as new home plans are developed
Travellers' Rest: Romany Gypsies are one of Surrey's largest minorities, but will the county offer enough places to stay in the future?
IT is one of Britain’s most desirable and expensive areas to live.
It is also the biggest town in a county where one of the biggest ethnic minorities are Romany Gypsies.
Now Guildford borough is undertaking a major consultation of the future of its housing provision. It says it is taking "unprecedented steps" to address the need foraffordable homes for all, and to ensure the area does not become just another rich enclave.
Kelly King and Laura Gold are both from the area, and they've been working to get Gypsies and Travellers involved in the consultation process. The pair are community liaison officers and they make frequent visits to parish councils to make the case that proper sites for Travellers are not just necessary, they're the best way forward for everybody.
“It’s especially important for the Travellers to get involved because they need to find pitches and land for accommodation,” say Kelly and Laura.
“Also if any Travellers have bought any land they are asking them to come forward as well,” they added.
“We’ve had a good working relationship with them for about a year,” they said.
Kelly and Laura have also been trying to help get people involved in the Guildford Local Plan, which aims to make sure there are enough local homes for the future, and that they're properly built and sustainable.
But Kelly and Laura are also aware that when it comes to homes for Gypsies and Travellers, there's a lot more to it than simply submitting the plans.
“It's also about breaking down the racism barriers, you know the “nimby” attitude from the gorjer community," they said.
"If we can break down that attitude, it might be easier for them to find homes for the Gypsies and the Traveller community as a whole.
"We’ve been trying to explain to people about our way of life because our kids need education.
"They see this big bad picture, through the media especially," they said.
The pair have been visiting parish councils to help them “understand that everyone’s got to take their turn in this,” they said.
Big sites are not the answer, say Kelly and Laura. "We’re going out to [Parish Councils] so they get the idea that it’s going to be done the right way," and doing things the right way includes moving on from sites that are just concrete and wire fencing, say Kelly and Laura.
New sites “need greenery, and then they look less shocking,” they said. As for large sites with lots of pitches: “We don’t want them, the councils don’t want them and the non-gypsies don’t want them. So we’ve suggested 6 plots at Home Farm,” they said. “People warm to that.”
“If you’re going to live in peace together you’ve got to meet in the middle haven’t you?”
The consultation comes as the Surrey area is fast becoming known as the UK’s most exclusive place to live.Guildford town was recently named the UK’s ‘luxury shopping capital’, and average prices for a detached home in the borough are nearing £700,000.
Current population trends mean that thousands of new homes will be needed in Guildford borough between now and 2031, while a 2008 survey of local business owners by Guildford Borough Council found many concerned about their workers being able to afford to live in the area.
Cllr Monika Juneja, Lead Councillor for Planning and Governance at Guildford Borough Council, says that the aim to make Guildford a place for all is sincere.
“Our borough is much more than a luxury haven – it’s a great place to live, work and visit, and we want to keep it that way. The reality is that we have a full urban area, and a real need for affordable housing locally”, she said.
“We want encourage people to stay and build lives here – everyone from teachers and doctors to young people and entrepreneurs, of all backgrounds. And we need to ensure we have enough homes to sustain a future for our children and grandchildren here.
“This might mean asking difficult questions about how we plan for the future. For example, how can we stop local people – commuters, businesspeople, the young and the old – being priced out of their own borough? And is there a way to grow sustainably – balancing our vision for a strong, diverse local economy with the spirit of the Green Belt Act?
“This is the right time to have a discussion locally about what kind of future we want. We want a blueprint for the future that is measured, manageable and based on the wishes of the community.," said Ms Juneja.
Meanwhile, Kelly and Laura know that Gypsies' and Travellers' centuries-old traditions, including the custom of living in mobile homes, are still not understood by everybody.
"A majority of people don’t understand where we’ve come from, both the Romany Gypsies and the travelling community in general. They know we’re here but they don’t know where we’re coming from. There’s good and bad in all people,” the pair said. They believe that this is partly to do with what people see on the television, and “Big Fat Gypsy Weddings has scandalised our communities,” they added.
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Public consultation on the Local Plan starts in October 2013 and finishes on 29 November. To get involved, and for further information and a list of consultation dates are online at www.guildfordlocalplan.info.
The latest evidence base information can be viewed at the dedicated Local Plan website:www.guildfordlocalplan.info/evidence-base
The Council agenda, report and Draft Local Plan Strategy and Sites Issues and Options document are available on the Guildford Borough Council website, at http://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/977/Council