Residents of Dale Farm in Essex, the UK’s largest Travellers’ site, are preparing to resist an expected attempt to evict them today after they were refused permission on Monday to appeal against a high court ruling allowing Basildon council to clear the site. The clearance of 54 unauthorised plots, home to around 80 families, follows a decade-long row over development of the green belt site. The court of appeal judge Lord Justice Sullivan dashed the Travellers’ last hope for a reprieve on Monday when he refused permission to appeal against the earlier high court ruling giving Basildon council the green light for the mass eviction.
Monday’s ruling marked the end of a 10-year legal battle between the Travellers and Basildon council. The £18m eviction is expected to remove 400 residents, including around 100 children. (The guardian on line)
How do people feel about the amount of money that has been spent on this case? would it have been cheaper to build a legal site for the travellers?