Settlement FAQs

how did dale farm become a settlement for travellers

by Jules Macejkovic Sr. Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

As a site for Travellers, Dale Farm was started in the 1980s when a planning appeal was won by two families against Basildon District Council on the southern end of the site with the help of Robert Home, a professor of land management from Anglia Ruskin University.

As a site for Travellers, Dale Farm was started in the 1980s when a planning appeal was won by two families against Basildon District Council on the southern end of the site with the help of Robert Home, a professor of land management from Anglia Ruskin University.

Full Answer

What happened to Dale Farm?

In the early 2000s, gypsy Richard Sheridan bought a cottage and land called Dale Farm next to a legitimate traveller site in the area for £120,000. Then he and his family then divided it into 51 plots, selling each for as little as £5,000 and about 1,000 travellers began to illegally camp on the green belt land.

Is Dale Farm the UK's largest illegal traveller site?

The eviction of some 400 people from the UK's largest illegal travellers' site, Dale Farm in Essex, has once again brought to the forefront Britain's traveller community.

Should travellers be allowed to sell Dale Farm land?

These days much of the site is empty or covered with fly-tipped rubbish. Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers, who opposed the eviction, has claimed the travellers should be allowed to sell the land so they can move to suitable sites. A council spokesman told the Sunday Express it had met with a Land Group developer about land including Dale Farm..

Where is Dale Farm on the map?

/ 51.595; 0.474 / 51.595; 0.474 Dale Farm is a plot of land situated on Oak Lane in Crays Hill, Essex, United Kingdom. Until October 2011, it was the site of one of the largest Traveller concentrations in the UK, at its height housing over 1,000 people, along with the adjacent Oak Land site.

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Where did the residents of Dale Farm go?

Basildon Council said it would not be a replacement site for Dale Farm, in Crays Hill, and places would need to be allocated on the basis of local need. Many travellers who were evicted from Dale Farm last year have only moved a few yards down the road to Oak Lane, where they continue to live illegally.

What was the outcome of Dale Farm?

Dale Farm in Essex was Europe's largest traveller site. The eviction of 80 families from their illegally-built homes left 15 police officers injured and saw 45 arrests.

Who owns Dale Farm?

Nick Whelan is Group Chief Executive of Dale Farm, the UK's largest owned dairy cooperative. Unlike traditional companies, Dale Farm is owned by the 1300 farmers that that make its products and that all profits get pumped back into the local farming industry.

When was the battle for Dale Farm?

2011The story of the events surrounding the Dale Farm eviction of 2011.

Is Dale Farm still there?

The site has now been swamped in fly-tipped rubbish - forcing locals to build a concrete fence to keep out criminals. A traveller on a legal site next to Dale Farm said: "It's a disgrace, I don't know where they are coming from.

Why were Travellers evicted from Dale Farm?

Because they did not have planning permission, an epic ten year battle ensued with the council. In October 2011, the group were evicted at cost to the taxpayer of nearly £7million. Attempts to claw back some of the money spent failed last year in what was branded "slap in the face of taxpayer".

Is Dale Farm only in Northern Ireland?

Dale Farm supplies the retail, foodservice and ingredients markets with a wide range of dairy products to the UK and exports to more than 40 countries worldwide.

How big is Dale Farm?

six-acreDale Farm is a six-acre plot of land on Oak Lane, near the A127 Southend Arterial road. Dale Farm has been subject to Green Belt controls since 1982. Next to the Dale Farm site there is an authorised Travellers' site known as Oak Lane. This has council planning permission, and provides 34 legal pitches.

Where in the UK has the most Travellers?

In total around 63,000 people in the UK identified themselves as members of these groups, of which 58,000 were living in England and Wales. The South East region of England had both the largest number of Gypsies and Irish Travellers and the largest number per 10,000 people.

How many Travellers are there in Essex?

UK wide, 55,000 people identified themselves as Gypsy/Traveller, 2,161 of which were in Essex. The population is now thought to be 2,630. However, it is known that Travellers will often not identify themselves as Travellers for fear of persecution, and also many would have not completed the census at all.

What is a Dale on a farm?

Dale is a Jersey — a breed typically used in dairy production — and since as a male he would never produce milk, his owner felt that she had no use for him. Thankfully, a relative urged her to send Dale to a sanctuary, and she agreed to relinquish the 10-month-old bull if we could quickly take him off her hands.

How many Travellers live in UK?

It noted that other sources of data estimate the UK's Gypsy, Roma and Traveller population to be in the region of 150,000 to 300,000, or as high as 500,000 (PDF).

Who won the Battle of Dale?

The Battle of Dale and the subsequent siege were decisive battles in the northern theatre of the War of the Ring. Even though it cost the lives of Kings Dáin Ironfoot and Brand of Dale, it was a decisive victory for the Free peoples.

What was the Battle of Dale?

The Battle of Dale was a battle fought between the Kingdom of Dale allied with the Dwarves of Erebor and the Iron Hills, against the Easterlings of Rhûn in the valley of Dale during the War of the Ring in the late Third Age, and was the decisive battle in the Northern Theater of the War of the Ring.

Where is Dale Farm?

The eviction of some 400 people from the UK's largest illegal travellers' site, Dale Farm in Essex, has once again brought to the forefront Britain's traveller community. Not to be confused with Romany Gypsies, who are the largest traveller group in the world with some 12 million members according to the Gypsy Council, ...

Where did Irish travellers move?

She said many Irish Travellers moved between the town and other traveller sites in eastern England.

Why are Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers considered ethnic minority groups?

Both Irish Travellers and Romany Gypsies are recognised as distinct ethnic minority groups in English law because they are communities which share a history stretching back hundreds of years. In a guide to Gypsies and travellers, Mr Bowers writes that from the 16th Century to the present day, "no ethnic groups in Britain have aroused as much ...

Why are travellers so difficult to work in Britain?

Travellers or Gypsies can have difficulty in Britain doing the jobs they used to do because they have either been replaced by a cheaper alternative, such as eastern Europeans undertaking agricultural work, or machines which have replaced what they used to do , according to Ms O'Malley.

What is a traveller?

The term traveller refers to anyone who has a nomadic way of life. It can not only refer to Irish Travellers or Romany Gypsies, but also those who live on the road for economic reasons such as New Travellers or Showmen.

Where do gypsies go to earn a living?

As many do not have any education (although in recent years this is changing and more travellers and Gypsies are going to school according to the Irish Travellers Movement in Britain) they cannot apply for licences to be able to do these jobs as they only have basic reading skills, so instead they go to France, Germany or the Netherlands to earn a living.

Who said the Romany Gypsy community will be reaping the whirlwind of whatever happens at Dale?

As Mr Bowers , says: "The Romany Gypsy community will be reaping the whirlwind of whatever happens at Dale Farm."

How long did Dale Farm escalate?

Still working in local government, Mr Buckley recounts how the issue of Dale Farm escalated over a seven-year period.

What do travellers look up at Dale Farm?

Traveller children look up and gesture as a police helicopter hovers over Dale Farm camp just days before the evictions. "Travellers don't want to be in conflict with anyone - they want to live ordinary, normal and safe lives that are not in conflict with anyone," he adds.

What was the largest traveller site in Europe?

Dale Farm in Essex was Europe's largest traveller site. The eviction of 80 families from their illegally-built homes left 15 police officers injured and saw 45 arrests. Five years on, some of those involved assess the lasting impact of the evictions.

What were the lasting effects of Dale Farm?

He says one of the lasting effects of Dale Farm was the engendering of a fear of "Dale Farm II".

What did Basildon Council fight for?

While travellers and their supporters demanded permission to remain, claiming they had nowhere to go, Basildon Council and residents fought for the upholding of planning law in the face of a massive breach.

When was Dale Farm?

The roots of the Dale Farm story stretch back to the 1970s when 40 English Romany families were allowed to live beside an illegal scrap yard in Essex.

Who said travellers do not get a fair deal?

The council leader. image caption. Council leader Malcolm Buckley says while travellers do not get a "fair deal", the law of the land must apply to one and all. "It was a personal tragedy for the people involved," says Malcolm Buckley.

Where is Dale Farm?

In 2011, Dale Farm in Essex was the scene of one of Britain's largest and most violent evictions. Now, properties in the area are decaying, overgrown by shrubs and trees.

Why was the travelling community who lived there evicted by Basildon Council?

The travelling community who lived there was evicted by Basildon Council because it wanted to build new housing on the land.

Who said the area he used to live on had become a pothole, a swimming pool for rats?

Another traveller, Martin O'Leary, said the area he used to live on had become "a pothole, a swimming pool for rats".

How long have travellers spoken out after evictions?

Travellers living nearby have spoken out 10 years after the evictions, saying they were asked to leave as the council wanted to build new housing, but this never happened.

What did a traveller say on a legal site next to Dale Farm?

A traveller on a legal site next to Dale Farm said: "It's a disgrace, I don't know where they are coming from.

Who bought Dale Farm?

In the early 2000s, gypsy Richard Sheridan bought a cottage and land called Dale Farm next to a legitimate traveller site in the area for £120,000. Then he and his family then divided it into 51 plots, selling each for as little as £5,000 and about 1,000 travellers began to illegally camp on the green belt land.

How long has Dale Farm been a wasteland?

Notorious Dale Farm travellers’ camp is a decaying wasteland eight years after residents were kicked out. THESE haunting images show the scorched ruins of the notorious Dale Farm gypsy camp - eight years after an explosive battle to kick travellers off the site.

Who sent invoices to travellers?

Basildon Council sent invoices to the travellers, demanding payments to cover the costs of the operation.

How much rubbish was left at Crays Hill?

In 2017 council officials began to clear a shocking 180 tonnes of rubbish, asbestos and litter left near the site in in Crays Hill, Essex. The rubbish had sat there for more than five years after the last caravans left the notorious encampment.

Who bought Dale Farm?

In the early 2000s, gypsy Richard Sheridan bought a cottage and land called Dale Farm next to a legitimate traveller site in the area for £120,000. Then he and his family then divided it into 51 plots, selling each for as little as £5,000 and about 1000 travellers began to illegally camp on the green belt land.

Who opposed the eviction of Dale Farm?

Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers, who opposed the eviction, has claimed the travellers should be allowed to sell the land so they can move to suitable sites. A council spokesman told the Sunday Express it had met with a Land Group developer about land including Dale Farm..

Where is the 500 home estate?

One has already approached Basildon Council about transforming the sprawling six-acre site in Crays Hill, Essex, into a 500 home estate, according to reports. The Sunday Express reports how evicted families —many with an Irish traveller heritage — who still own plots on the land could be in line for a huge windfall.

Can Dale Farm travellers sell their land?

Evicted Dale Farm travellers ‘could make millions selling their land to developers’. Patrick Knox. 16:25, 21 Jul 2019. Updated: 0:25, 22 Jul 2019. TRAVELLERS from the infamous Dale Farm encampment could end up trousering millions of pounds by selling their land to a housing developer, it’s been claimed. One has already approached Basildon Council ...

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