Cllr Caroline Russell

A GROUP of residents living close to a proposed site for a new Traveller and Gypsy community have spoken out against the scheme.

The group, living in and around Ronalds Road in Highbury, say the plan has been rushed and ill-thought through.

Islington Council launched a consultation on three potential sites last month for a small number of settled caravan sites for Travellers. The government had ordered them to include space for Gypsies and Travellers, as is required of them by law. Currently Islington has none.

A spokesman for the group, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity around the issue, said more than 150 households had come together with concerns ranging from noise to its location close to a railway freight tunnel.

He added: “Of course we’re all for inclusivity but the site itself is really not suitable for Gypsies and Travellers for many reasons. The social housing [that the land was originally designated for] would be well designed buildings that would provide protection for residents from noise and vibrations. Now if you have people living outside or in caravans next to that railway it raises a lot of concerns around pollution and safety.”

He called on the council to rethink its plans and look to larger sites.

Cllr Caroline Russell said: “As ward councillors we learned about the plans in late May and since then have worked hard with council officers, to get answers to residents’ questions, to hold a well-attended public meeting and to get the consulta­tion period extended as residents requested.”