£30,000 scheme to keep traveller caravans off Sheffield park is approved

The money will be used to surround Angram Bank Park in High Green, where around 50 caravans were parked for five days this summer before the occupants moved on leaving a big mess behind after being threatened with legal action.

The investment was agreed by members of Ecclesfield Parish Council after parish councillor David Ogle called an emergency general meeting.

Coun Ogle favours boulders being placed around the park, though other councillors have suggested railings would look better and the details are still to be decided.

But Coun Ogle said his fellow parish councillors had voted unanimously to spend up to £30,000 from the parish council’s budget on some form of barrier which should be installed as soon as possible.

He told how the money would either come entirely from the parish council’s emergency reserves or would be taken in part from a £7,000 VAT rebate and a £10,000 funding pot to reduce anti-social behaviour, neither of which have yet been allocated.

He claims around 120 sandstone boulders weighing up to two tonnes each would have to be placed around the park, where a new gate, bollards and a height restriction barrier in the car park would also have to be installed.

Coun Ogle said the project still needs to be approved by Sheffield City Council, which manages the park, though no money would be required from the city council.

Although the money has been approved, he said the parish council is set to meet on October 21 to decide where in the budget it will be taken and a full council meeting is held on November 4 to rubber-stamp the project before work can begin.

Coun Ogle said: “I think it's great that this is happening because when I first called for an emergency general meeting there was quite a bit of resistance.

“It’s a lot of money and I’d rather be spending it on something else like more ramps for the skate parks, but what happened in the park this summer wasn’t on and we need to stop it happening again.

“The best thing the city council could so now is create more transit camps for these guys to use.”