Summergangs Lane, Gainsborough - Traveller Site History

Summergangs Lane

2

- History of Travellers

11th Century A group of tribes people flee from Northern India and travel through the Middle East to Europe.

16th Century • Gypsies arrive in England and Scotland.

• These exotic looking entertainers and carriers of news are mistakenly labelled ‘Egyptions’ - hence the name “Gypsies”.

• King Henry VIII begins persecution of Gypsies.

• King Edward VI decides that all Gypsies should become slaves.

• Queen Mary I made it a crime to enter England as a Gypsy.

• Queen Elizabeth I forces Gypsies to give up their way of life or face death.

• Gypsies arrive in Wales.

19th Century • Rides and tents used in circuses • Wooden horse drawn covered wagons used by Gypsies in England.

• The Showmen’s Guild is established, making them a unique group of Travellers.

21st Century Gypsies and Travellers of Irish Heritage are recognised as ethnic groups under the Race Relations Act.

History of Summergangs Lane -

Travellers Over Time

SummergangS Lane Planning consent applied for and obtained in 1982 for a 20 pitch permanent Gypsy site.

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) opened the site in November 1983 with the provision of 20 pitches. Management of the site was originally carried out by West Lindsey District Council on a self-financing basis.

12th Century Travellers arrive in Ireland.

1999 - the site management was handed back to the County Council who contract their business partner Hyder Business Services Ltd (now known as Mouchel Business Services) to manage the site.

18th Century

2000 - joint funding of £65,000 was acquired from the District Council and County Council to resurface Summergangs Lane and to provide street lighting. Whilst Summergangs Lane provides access to several businesses it is also the only access road on to the site.

English laws against Gypsies are repealed.

2002 - a 75% Gypsy Site Refurbishment Grant totalling £128,080 awarded. Works carried out included:

20th Century • Roma Gypsies arrive in England.

• British Government helps Gypsies by building caravan sites for Gypsies working in the army and as farm labourers. Once the Second World War was over, the British Government stopped this practise.

• Together with the Jewish Community, Gypsies were persecuted during the Holocaust.

• Gypsies start to use motor drawn trailers.

• British Government enacts the Caravan Sites Act -1968, requiring councils to provide caravan sites for Gypsies and Travellers. In 1994 the Act was abolished, leaving 5,000 families without a legal home.

3

Courtesy of The Lincolnshire Echo

Official Opening Of SummergangS lane Princess Anne officially opened the site on 24th September 1984 in her capacity as President of Save the Children. She visited the pre-school playgroup at South County Infants School run by Save the Children, whose unique project worked with children from Summergangs Lane in the school environment in order to integrate them into the wider community and help to improve their life chances.

• Replace soft ground areas on pitches and work areas with suitable paving and concrete.

• Provide and erect gates and fencing to pitch boundaries.

• Upgrade security to amenity block entrance doors, new flooring, decoration and stainless steel sinks.

• Improve street lighting.

• Construct site manager’s office.

• Improve traffic calming measures.

2002 - the former site manager’s office was converted into a community building for residents. The Gainsborough Traveller Initiative (GTI) obtained funding through the National Lottery to refurbish the building with LCC agreeing to lease the building to them on a ‘peppercorn’ rent. The main use of the building has been for an on-site parent and toddler group run by GTI. This arrangement continues today.

2009 - LCC spent £29,000 from its Capital Programme Budget on upgrading the electrical installations in all existing amenity blocks to ensure that each block conformed to current IEE Regulations.

Following this visit, the Princess toured the new £234,000 Gyspy site at Summergangs Lane which had unofficially opened in November 1983 and met some of the children’s parents from the pre-school.

Travellers in lincOlnShire There has been a long history of Gypsies in Lincolnshire going back many hundreds of years. Being a county with a long history of agricultural food production, many families travelled through the area and played an important part in rural communities. They helped to harvest crops that were transported to feed populations in towns. There were traditional horse fairs held and places where the community gathered either for horse dealing or for catching up with old friends and family. During the First and Second World Wars many Gypsies joined the army and fought to defend their country.

Being a county of flat lands and wide skies, historically there were plenty of places for families to camp. However the Caravan Sites (Control of Development) Act (1960) caused the

closure of many stopping places used by Gypsies and Travellers.

By 1968 the Caravan Sites Act required local authorities to provide sites for Gypsies in England. This Act required that, ‘…ensure adequate accommodation for all those residing in or resorting to their areas’ and that district councils should design, build and manage sites. It wasn’t until 1977 however in the Cripps Report: Accommodation for Gypsies, that obstacles for these new sites were identified, 5 of which are still pertinent today.

1. The importance of public opinion.

2. Gypsy habits – anti-social behaviour of a minority influencing negative perceptions of the majority.

3. Vandalism – of some sites has made councils less willing to refurbish them or continue to provide them.

4. The idea that site provision is a national responsibility leading some local authorities to disregard directing resources to them.

5. Perception that Gypsy and Traveller needs are diverse and difficult to quantify, compounded by their transitory and nomadic lifestyle (Richardson, 2007).

By 1994, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act repealed many of the duties of the Caravan Sites Act 1968, one of which was to take away the duty on local authorities to provide sites and in so doing, giving them and the police powers to evict unauthorised encampments. At this same time, Gypsies and Travellers were ‘encouraged’ to buy land themselves and apply to legitimise their own site through the planning system which seems to be an equitable approach. In reality however, over 90% of applications are refused (Liberty, 2008).

By 2004 the Housing Act required local authorities to assess the needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities and to include how this need will be met in local development plans. The Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment (GTAAs) was completed by the end of 2007 but the caveat to this was that there is no stipulation on local authorities to provide for the identified needs. The consequence to this was that there are currently 4,000 families nationwide with nowhere to go. Locally, West Lindsey District Council identified a deficit of 26 pitches.

4

Resurface road way and fortify

traffic calming measures (raised Provide new concrete slabs to all - Refurbishment plans for Summergangs Lane speed calming tables) new amentiy block locations

Extend existing foul drainage to each new unit as required

The Origins FORM ADDITIONAL PITCH (inc. all necessary services provision) entire pitch to be conrete slab

New 1200mm ‘Oxgang’ referred to a plot of land held by someone who contributed an oxwide to afootpath plough team (from Ian Beckwith’s ‘Book of new trees, 20no. new low Gainsborough’). Summergangs6no. refers to level shrubs, new grass seeding, locations to be plots of land which were kept for summer pasture – good rich green grass by theconfirmed River on site.

Trent for cattle.

New Electric &

Before the official site came into being it was known as ‘The Stones’ or ‘The Bricks’ C a r a v a it was a (see image below). It is believed n S it e piece of land owned by the council that was a traditional Gypsy and Traveller stopping in place.

Water infrastructure

Remove existing earth mound, extend play area with play surfacing, install new play equipment and retaining wall as required

Provide and install new CCTV system (details TBC) NEW 4ft CONCRETE PANEL PITCH BOUNDARY FENCING with vehicel and pedestrian gated access

S-03

S-03

The Future 9,530

COMMUNITY BUILDING

S-04

S-02

New 1200mm wide footpath

9,530

Demolish and make good all existing utilities blocks

F/F SPACE

SERVICES 1.2 m2

WARDENS OFFICE

Modify existing Wardens Block to provide seperate electrical meters room SERVICES ELECTRIC METERS

1.2 m2

LOBBY 3.8 m2

The previous Labour government incentivised local authorities to reduce the deficit of pitches WC m in the public sector by2.2making monies available through the Homes and Communities Agency to build new sites and refurbish existing ones. The options were:

COOKER SPACE

3,490

BATHROOM 4 m2

LOBBY 3.8 m2 BATHROOM & WC 6.6 m2

Each pitch has new amenity blocks with kitchen and bathroom facilities; several pitches have been extended in size and the electricity supply upgraded around the site along with new security cameras and fencing bordering the site itself.

BREAKFAST KITCHEN 14.3 m2

As the existing site is on a flood risk zone ‘3’ it would not be permitted for building on now. The DRYER WASHER Environment Agency blocked the prospect of SPACE SPACE putting more trailers onto the site but with some clever thinking, an additional pitch was proposed to give greater flexibility to the families on the site by having just one trailer each on 2 pitches rather than 1. S-01 To refurbish an existing site – 50% grant S-01 the usual 2 trailers per pitch, making a maximum of GROSS INTERNAL FLOOR AREA matched with a 50% stake from the County 27 m2 40 caravans on the site. This then formed the basis Council. for the bid by Lincolnshire County Council in 2008.

S-02

earth ay area g, install ent and equired

Standard Floor Plan

w s

1:50

2. To refurbish an existing site and add at least The Council finally received a £1.25 million grant one more pitch 75%for grant for the site in appropriate towards the refurbishment NB: Provision to be – made framing out existing of floor joists location to total fascilitate and providecost for the level and gulley. floor joist level to be infilled standard unitinuntil level 2010 and work andthreshold a 100% shower grant towards theChange cost of in providing site of in £1.65 million October threshold is required an additional pitch. commenced on 4th January 2011.

GROSS INTERNAL FLOOR AREA 27 m2

DDA Floor Plan

+3,100 1 Story

Drain

1:500

D S

S-04

2

low s e

BREAKFAST K 14.3 m

±0 0 Ground Floor -300 -1 Story

S-01

+3,100

Building Section

1:50

S-02

Courtesy of Mouchel Business Services

Building Section

1:50