Large group of travellers set up home on beauty spot car park as council vows to take action
- Are travelers settling illegally in your area? Email eleanor.mann@dailymail.co.uk
A large group of travelers took over a council car park in Birmingham after the council vowed to take action.
Caravans have arrived in droves on Billesley Common, off Yardley Wood Road, since Monday.
The vehicles were parked near the entrance to Moseley Rugby Club, which is open to the public.
Local political candidates and campaigners Sullimam Khan and Sanjida Chishty said they had alerted the council ‘as a matter of urgency’.
The council has previously said: ‘The Council is committed to actively protecting its lands and will take steps to save these lands if unauthorized camps take over them.’
Moseley Rugby Football Club leases part of the common area for its pitches, clubhouse and 5,000 all-seat grandstand.
A large convoy of vehicles moved onto Billesley Common from Monday
Billesley Indoor Tennis Center is also located in the park and has indoor and outdoor tennis courts and a gym.
This area is a haven for wildlife and a magnet for walkers, runners, people with dogs, and families.
Haunch Brook runs through the middle of the common area.
Other facilities include a children’s playground, football field and outdoor sports equipment.
This month, homeowners in a Surrey hamlet were left fearing their million-pound property would be worthless after travelers tarred green belt land and moved in with dozens of caravans without permission.
Residents of picturesque Shipley Bridge have claimed they are under siege from a traveler ‘invasion’ and are left ‘outnumbered’ after at least ten sites containing around 70 caravans were set up along a 750-metre rural strip.
They said the council was unable to control the situation, that travelers could first build whatever they wanted and then ask for permission.
