Islington Council has proposed nine potential sites for travellers in a bid to provide up to 13 permanent pitches, following years of unsuccessful attempts to secure suitable land.
The plan has been welcomed by campaigners but is expected to face local opposition. Under the Housing Act 2004, local authorities are required to identify and meet the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers. The council’s search for “culturally appropriate” land has been ongoing for several years without success until now.
Philomena Mongan, a Hackney-based Irish Traveller advocating for the community, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that families were “very happy” to see the new sites put forward for consultation. She added that while the sites are small, she praised the council for “pushing” for them to be delivered. Ms Mongan also expressed dismay at the backlash, noting that some responses containing discriminatory remarks were removed from the official consultation report. She said: “They don’t realise these families have a lot of history in Islington and have been there a long time.”
A 2019 council review found that most of Islington’s Gypsy and Traveller community had lived in the borough for many years, with some households arriving in the 1970s and intermittently setting up caravans. As travelling has become more difficult, some families have opted to move into permanent housing.
Nancy Hawker, policy officer at London Gypsies and Travellers (LGT), said that families in the borough were “desperate for pitches” and blamed earlier failures to provide land on “extensive” campaigning against the council’s proposals.
Over 250 sites were initially considered before a shortlist of nine was drawn up. Proposed locations include housing estates such as Aubert Court and Mayville, as well as Pleasant Place Garden.
Some local residents have suggested looking at sites outside Islington, arguing the borough is already densely populated, while others have requested “robust” evidence that the Gypsy and Traveller community has lived in the area for more than five years.
The council has stated there will not be a public meeting to discuss the proposals due to the “potential for hostile or discriminatory comments and opinions to be expressed”. Residents are instead asked to submit comments online during a consultation running until next month.
