Article from P&J: 08:50 - 03 October 2007
A Community group in Aberdeen opposed to a travellers halting site being established at a park-and-ride facility suffered a defeat last night.
Kingswells Community Council failed to persuade councillors to scrap plans for a camp on the lower car park at the site until a more suitable site can be found to the north or west of the village.
Chairwoman Barrie Buch-an urged the area north committee to reject the plans as Aberdeen would become a "magnet for travellers" if they were approved.
She claimed people who live in Aberdeenshire would not use the park-and-ride if a halting site is created there.
It is one of four that the council wants to establish in the city, two in the north and two in the south, to supplement its camp at Clinterty near Blackburn.
Mrs Buchan said the move would prompt a return to "real problems" between the settled community and travellers who camped at the facility recently.
She told the committee no proper public consultation over the use of the lower car park had been carried out.
"We urge the committee to recommend the park-and-ride is not used as a halting site, even on a temporary basis, and that a more suitable alternative site is found in the north," she added.
"There is a real implication that, by adopting a perceived gypsy traveller-friendly policy, Aberdeen will become a magnet for travellers.
"Aberdeen should avoid rushing into a quick-fix solution and more time should be taken to consider the issues properly."
Mrs Buchan was supported by Lord Provost Peter Stephen, a local councillor, who called on the authority to review its policy and learn from good practice elsewhere before making a decision. He was backed by Labour councilor Gordon Graham.
However, Mark McDonald of the SNP urged the committee to back the proposals because "we cannot afford to stall on this any longer".
He said the sites would put the council in a more "robust" position when seeking court orders to move people on from unauthorised camps.
"The problem we have had is we had nowhere to evict people to. If an unauthorised site does arise, we can move them on to halting sites," he added.
Mr McDonald, supported by his group leader, Kevin Stewart, said he felt the council should be a front-runner in establishing halting sites.
The committee voted 6-5 for the proposals which will now be referred to full council on November 21.
The community council has warned councillors that it will be insisting the normal planning process, including public inquiry, will be used before establishing a site.
Under the recommendation, previously mooted plans for a site at Old Skene Road and at Sclattie in Bucksburn have been scrapped.
A site is to be established at Bridge of Don, even though proposals for one at Denburn have been dropped because it is too close and visible to the settled community.
Speaking later, Mrs Buchan said she was disappointed with the decision because raising children in a car park beside double-decker buses was not appropriate.
And Wendy Stewart, the Kingswells and Sheddocksley SNP councillor, did not back Mr Stephen's amendment. She voted in favour of the proposals.
Last night she said: "I felt it was too important an issue to be decided by area committee and felt it was better to refer it to full council so all 43 councillors could decide."
