ON behalf of all the members of Avebury Parish Council, we would like to put the record straight on comments in the press and on television regarding camping in the southern car park and visitors to the stone circle.
Firstly, there is no suggestion at all that the residents and the parish council are against the celebrants or visitors to the circle at the eight important festivals throughout the year providing they are carried out with respect to residents and their properties.
It must be pointed out that, thanks to a strong police presence, this year's solstice was much better for the residents in the High Street. The main problem is the length of time that the National Trust allows campers to stay in the southern car park.
We have been given to understand by Kennet District Council that the camping is illegal.
The sun only rises on one morning at solstice and residents and members feel that allowing camping for six nights is far too long.
Bearing in mind that there are a further seven festivals to be held during year, the potential for camping is immense.
The National Trust has allowed this to happen over recent years, but seems unable or unwilling to now take on board that this is its responsibility.
It hires toilets and makes sure there is water during the solstice celebrations but on the other seven festivals there are no facilities in the car park at all.
The nearest toilets are hundreds of yards away so use your imagination as to what happens in the car park and along the footpaths to the village. The celebrants do not come here to see a pretty village, they come to use the stone circle for their celebrations.
It would seem that the best answer is a field somewhere away from the village so that residents, including Avebury Trusloe, will not be inconvenienced. As the National Trust owns most of the land around it must be up to the trust to solve this problem.
The parish council and many residents would like to see similar actions as at Stonehenge where the solstice celebrations only last a few hours.
The fact that the police were deployed here for six days is costly to council tax payers and is unsustainable in the long term.
J Baldrey
Chairman,
Avebury Parish Council,
G Rawlins
Kennet District Councillor
West Selkley Ward
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