Travellers’ camp at park and ride site ... AGAIN
Anger as caravans return to area
Published:
TRAVELLERS have again set up home at Aberdeen’s biggest park and ride site.
A group of five caravans has moved on to the lower car park at Kingswells.
The Travellers, from the Fort William area, said they were likely to be at the site for about two weeks.
Aberdeen City Council has provided a toilet and rubbish bin.
One Kingswells resident expressed concern at the unauthorised camp, set up after the site was used by a group last year.
He said: “I’d like to see the site locked up overnight, so people can’t move on to it. It is supposed to be for people using the park and ride, but users are going to avoid it.
“I don’t feel that the council wants to do anything about it.”
A group of Travellers were recently evicted from a park and ride site at Ellon after Aberdeenshire Council took court action. At one point last year there were more than 20 caravans at the Kingswells site. The city council is considering setting up a temporary Travellers’ halt at the site.
The council wants to put up four halts across the city to avoid rogue encampments being set up. Under current legislation the council is unable to move groups on because there are not enough legal sites for them to use.
Meanwhile, another group of Travellers who moved into Westburn Park are due to leave soon.
The group moved there because it was close to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and one of them, 24-year-old Mary Hegarty, was due to give birth. It is understood that she has now had a son, Robbie.
