Travellers leave Birkhill — and move on to Stannergate
Travellers who had set up camp near Birkhill Cemetery have packed up and moved on to Dundee's port area.
The travellers had been camping near Birkhill Cemetery.
- By Graeme Strachan
- Published in the Courier : 15.07.10
- Published online : 15.07.10 @ 12.10pm
On Tuesday night the group had shown no signs of complying with a notice issued on Friday requiring them to depart within 24 hours from the land, which lies just to the north of Birkhill Cemetery.
The council was pursuing a court order for their removal before the caravans began rolling out of Birkhill on Wednesday morning.
More than 12 caravans rolled on to a patch of ground adjacent to the port area, and last night a large fire could be viewed within the grounds with vehicles and people coming and going from the area beside the water plant at Stannergate.
Residents in the area say they are concerned..
Tayside Police said, "All travellers have moved on from Birkhill and we have reports of travellers situated at Stannergate.
"It's up to the owners or council — whomever owns the land — whether they wish our assistance. It's up to the owners whether they're happy or not for the travellers to be there."
It also emerged on Wednesday that a group of around six caravans were pitched in a privately owned car park adjacent to Riverside Avenue.
Councillor George Regan, whose East End ward takes in the Stannergate camp, said the local authority ought to "encourage" the group to move out of the city.
"Dundee City Council provides a properly organised travellers site for these groups, so I see no reason for them to be anywhere else," he said.
"We should make every effort to encourage and direct them to this site, which offers proper facilities, including sanitation and schooling.
"The fact that they've moved on to a site where they're going to have a negative impact on the environment around them is baffling when facilities exist for them elsewhere."
The travelling group were served with a notice on Friday giving them 24-hours to depart the land on Birkhill, which they ignored.
In response, the process of obtaining a court order for their removal had been set in motion.
Unwanted travellers encampments have been appearing across Tayside and Fife in recent months, including Inverkeithing, Glenrothes, Montrose, Barry, Forfar, Fetteresso and Birkhill.
Despite this, their official stopping place on the outskirts of Dundee was this week less than half full.
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