Harrogate Borough Council says it expects a group of Travellers will move on from the Stray “in the next couple of days” after it obtained a court order.
An encampment appeared on a section of the parkland between Oatlands Drive and Stray Rein towards the end of August.
Several vehicles are there and the council has provided bins for them to use.
Many Gypsies and Travellers travel the country staying at different places in order to earn a living. In most cases, it has been a way of life for generations.
But the law states that if they camp on private land, the landowner can obtain an order through a county court to remove them. The Stray is managed by Harrogate Borough Council.
A HBC spokesperson said:
“We had a court hearing [yesterday] for a possession order so anticipate they will move on in the next couple of days.”
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Legal proceedings begin to evict Travellers in Harrogate
Harrogate Borough Council has begun moves to evict Travellers from Oatlands Park.
Almost 20 vehicles arrived on the council-maintained park on Friday night.
It is believed they gained access from Hookstone Road, where a post blocking traffic from entering the park had been removed.
A council spokesman said today:
“We are aware of an illegal encampment on Oatlands Park in Harrogate and have started legal proceedings.
“Notices have been served requesting that the occupants leave imminently.”
Local people told the Stray Ferret that police had visited the site.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:
“Residents have made us aware of a group of caravans which have pitched on an area of Oatlands Park in Harrogate.
“As part of our usual neighbourhood policing response, local officers who were on patrol visited Oatlands and spoke to those concerned.”
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Council to start moves to evict Travellers on Harrogate Stray tomorrow
Harrogate Borough Council looks set to begin legal moves to evict Travellers on the Stray tomorrow.
Six caravans and several cars arrived on the Oatlands section of the Stray yesterday.
Three days earlier Travellers also parked on the old rugby field at Knaresborough.
The council, which is the legal protector of the Stray, has not replied to the Stray Ferret’s request for information about what action it is taking.
But Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, said the council had informed her that is is “aware and prepared to serve papers on Monday if required with a court hearing already scheduled for Thursday. Unfortunately due to the legal process, this is the fastest we can progress the situation.”
It is thought the Travellers are on their way to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria, which begins on Thursday.
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Ms d’Arcy Thompson said the council had informed her that its street cleaning team was “prepared to check the area and clear any waste left behind”.
She added the council appeared to be doing everything it could to resolve the situation, adding:
“With experience of similar events in the past we appreciate the complexity of the legal process.
“We naturally hope that they respect our Stray and that the minimum of mess and damage is left behind when they depart.”
The Stray Defence Association was founded in 1933 to safeguard the Stray against building and encroachment.
Harrogate school takes legal action after travellers returnAshville College has said it has commenced court proceedings to evict a number of travellers after they returned this weekend.
About six caravans drove onto Ashville’s sports playing fields, near the boarding houses, on Yew Tree Lane.
It is believed it is the same group that pitched up two weeks ago.
Ashville College said in a statement it is a major safeguarding concern as boarding pupils have now moved back in ready for the new school term to begin this week.
It added it had begun court proceedings to have the group removed.
A spokesman for Ashville College said:
“A group of travellers who illegally moved on to our sports fields two weeks ago have regrettably returned.
“With our boarding pupils now here for the start of the new school year, and day pupils returning in just a few days, this is a major concern for us.
“We have once again called the police, and have alerted our solicitors to begin court proceedings to have them evicted.”
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When the travellers arrived two weeks ago, they told school staff they were on their way to a wedding in Ireland after attending the annual Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria.
The travellers said if the school paid them £5,000 they were prepared to leave immediately without causing any damage.
They left leaving no damage three days later.