8:59am Thursday 10th July 2008
By Joe Ware
Gypsy Suzie Cole has spoken of the trauma she has suffered due to the ongoing legal wrangle over planning permission for the gypsy settlement at Minety.
Speaking at the planning inquiry chaired by inspector Karen Ridge yesterday she said the effect of not knowing whether her family would be allowed to stay has compounded her family's health problems.
She said: "I have been suffering with depression since January and my son has now been diagnosed with diabetes.
"People are really worried and not knowing where we will end up just adds to the stress and anxiety.
"I'm also suffering from gall stones and my daughter has had to have lumps removed from under her arms.
"I have separated from my husband as he has had to move into a home due to illness."
The gypsies are appealing against a decision by North Wiltshire District Council, which unanimously rejected an application in November from the travellers for permanent permission to remain at Sambourne Road. Sixteen gypsy families have been living on a field they bought, without planning consent, since August 2003.
Despite trying to find more suitable sites, Mrs Cole said she had not been successful. She said: "We have looked for other sites and have been around different estate agents who say nothing is suitable. One family have found another site and moved but we're are a close community and many of us are related so we don't want to be split up.
"If we were evicted there would be nowhere for us to go, we'd be back by the side of the road."
Mrs Cole denied claims that a local resident, Mrs Highland, had received abuse from the gypsies. She said: "We haven't abused Mrs Highland, it's not in our nature to do anything like that."
Also giving evidence to the inquiry was Sally Tucker Woodbury, chair of the Romany Gypsy Advisory Group for the south west. She slammed MP James Grey for his comments he made to the inquiry on Tuesday. She said: "It is a disgrace someone in his position is allowed to talk about gypsies in this way."
Speaking on Tuesday, planning expert Simon Chambers said that, although it was not council policy to allow gypsies who breached planning laws to stay, enforcing their immediate removal had not happened in similar cases.
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