It was years ago when a proposal to reopen the railway line from Matlock to Buxton was proposed. A feasibility study then a survey were undertaken at great expense and then the plan was dropped as being too expensive.
As the idea would have meant freight trains trundling within 50 metres of our front door day and night we were rather pleased that it didn't go ahead. The old railway bed, long gone provides a pleasant area to walk along the River Derwent up to Rowsley and an entrance to the local steam railway business of Peak Rail and we rather liked it like that.
A number of Gypsies moved onto part of the land and stayed for a couple of years before eventually being moved off the land. They brought with them the usual piles of rubbish, used the river bank as a toilet and we paid regularly through our council taxes to have the area cleaned up. We were rather pleased when they left.
A council depot sprang up on the old gypsy site, ah ha! we thought that's why they moved them on, it made sense now! the depot isn't noisy and provides a few jobs so no problem there.
The local Parish council galvanised itself into action 3 years or so ago because a "Recycling Point" was proposed on a part of the old rail bed opposite the council depot and like the NIMBY's we are we rushed to sign the petition to guard our little bit of nature. All of a sudden concerned about the rare ferns, frogs and newts!
All to no avail though the Recycling point was built, with a "nature conservancy" area inside its boundaries to assuage our concerns! It has to be said it is rather handy being able to pop 300 metres down the road to get rid of unwanted items. Although with the dazzling array of multi coloured topped bins we have just acquired means I make fewer trips as long as you can figure out which bin to put out when! That reminds me I must extract my "Mistral Malibu Windsurfer" from the stairwell and get that to the dump unless anyone wants it for free? (make a blog comment if your interested)
However i digress, so there I was yesterday having taken Sally and a work colleague, "lets call her Debs" to lunch at "The Barrell at Bretton" we returned safely to the warmth of our cottage to find a hand delivered envelope on the door mat.
A hastily prepared note informed us that a "Permanent Travellers Site" was proposed on the rail bed land behind the "Shalimar" Indian restaurant 150 metres down the road. The note go's on to say that the proposal is "Agenda item 6" at the Derbyshire Dales District Council meeting in "2 days time!"
The proposal has been requested by the "Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group" . The details inform us that there are 3 sites in our Parish being considered but the one mentioned above is the one "favoured as most suitable".
If you google "Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group" and look into it one of their "complaints" is that proposed sites are often in "unsuitable" positions due to being near "waste sites and main roads". The proposed site behind the "Shalimar" is within a hundred meters of the recycle point and 10 metres of the main road. "I think i smell a rat here!
Finally then - - Why if these people are, "Travellers" do they need a permanent site?"
Enjoy the day.
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