The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A family which has lived with an unauthorised travellers’ site opposite their home for 12 years has welcomed its closure.
The occupiers have been moved from Broad Drove in Gosberton Clough to a 30-pitch site in Spalding developed by South Holland District Council, at a cost to the taxpayer of £416,595.
The council said as it oversaw the switch last Thursday (Dec 1): “This move brings to a successful conclusion our ambitions to protect the long-term quality of life of our residents whilst meeting our needs to provide suitable homes for all.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to all those involved for working together on what has been a long and difficult process.”
One of the plots at the unauthorised encampment in Broad Drove, Gosberton Clough.
As part of the deal with the travellers, the Broad Drove site now belongs to the council. Yet Graham Hoyle, whose family lives opposite the now deserted site, fears the site will be of little use because of damage to what was arable land over the ensuing years.
He said: “We used to like watching the rabbits run around on there but it’s just contaminated land now.”
The council said: “Once the Broad Drove site has been cleared we will secure the access. We will then need to assess the condition of the site and consider our options for the future.
“No decision has yet been made and any decisions will of course be made in the public arena. We would expect to engage nearby residents in this process.”
Travellers first arrived on the site in June 2014 – just six months after the Hoyle family moved from Spalding.
Graham’s wife Margaret (50) said: “We moved to be in the country. Then six months later they moved in. We were devastated.”
The Hoyles’ plan was to renovate and extend their property from a three to a five-bedroom home.
The new development off Drain Bank North in Spalding, which abuts (right) a currently unauthorised travellers’ site.
However, the property was deemed “unsaleable” because of its proximity to the site and unmortgageable.They could not remortgage to add the costs of the work and have been stuck on a mortgage rate one per cent higher than what it could have been.
The couple have four children – James (28), Matt (22), Abbie (21) and Georgina, who at 16 has never known a life without an at times strained relationship with some of the travellers.
Margaret said: “She has had to put up with that all her life. She was too scared to go out on her bike. It’s not fair – kids shouldn’t have to put up with that.”
On Graham’s 56th birthday last October, the power was cut to his house for four hours following a fire on the travellers’ site.
Graham said: “The council said it would be two years [before the travellers went] but it’s now 12 years later. It’s good news but not the end by any means.”
With a couple of large properties remaining on the site, he fears they will remain occupiable, regardless of whether the site is secured.
