Planning permission to include 3 traveller pitches…

[MrsALS]

If you were living close by (circa 0.5 miles) to a new build development that included 3 permanent traveller pitches would you be worried?
Local planning has just been approved.
On one hand 0.5 miles isn’t on our doorstep, 3 pitches isn’t huge, and I’m guessing a permanent site as part of a wider new development is better than a temporary, illegal site. But on the other hand I can’t help but be nervous, particularly the impact on resale value.
Can I have opinions please?

Absolutely not. Never ever ever.

What do you think the travelers are going to do to you from half a mile away?

As in you wouldn't be worried? Or you wouldn't buy there?

I’d be worried about crime and antisocial behaviour.

Probably much, but I'm interested in getting other people's opinions in case the vast majority think there WOULD be an issue, which would likely mean our resale value would be impacted.

I meant probably not much... sorry!

I wouldn’t buy there. It would lose the sale for us.

I live within 1/2 mile of a small traveller site and a much larger council one. The traveller children go to the village primary. Many of the dads have tree surgery businesses locally. They are all just part of the local community although they keep themselves to themselves mostly. Wouldn't bother me at all.

Any trouble caused around these parts is generally considered to be by transient traveller families who stop on car parks when passing through the area. Petty crime and littering seems to increase whenever there is a group nearby.

If you do buy, you may have difficulty selling further down the line

I wouldn't buy from you. No way

As a kid we lived in a village with de facto travellers places at either end and a very mini one slightly above it. Although each site hated the other, they weren't a bother. We lived within quarter of a mile of one end. Neither site could be seen from where we lived. Occasionally one of the kids would come to school, but it wasn't regular.

Although as a kid I probably wouldn't have been aware anyway I don't remember it being thought to impact house prices. That said, I don't remember either having planning consent until a very long time later when one end got it. That one is still there, but sure about the one nearest to where we lived. The mini site wasn't used permanently as the occupants travelled a lot but disappeared altogether when the occupants moved into council housing nearby.

I worked with Traveller communities for many years, and all I can say is that they are much like the rest of us: good'uns and bad'uns.

There is much that I disagreed with in their culture: not educating girls properly, early marriage, bare knuckle fighting.

There is much that I admired, above all else their strong sense of family loyalty.

There were people I met whom I had no desire to meet again, and those whom I counted as friends.

Many of the Traveller community are Christians and have a strong sense of morality and honesty.

A permanent Traveller site nearby would not be a problem to me. They are likely to keep themselves to themselves a bit, in the sense that they mainly socialise within their community, but many like to integrate into the local community.

I am sure there are Travellers on Mumsnet who can comment more knowledgeably than I.

I’m intrigued by this (genuinely, I’m not just trying to poke holes in your comment).

OP says she is worried about resale value. In your view it is:

a) racist to believe it might affect resale value, or
b) not necessarily racist to think it might affect resale value, but racist to allow that to influence her decision?

Personally I don’t think a) is racist. I think I could be persuaded of b) but it needs a bit of work. For example, if I run a chain of gay bars, I don’t think it’s necessarily bigoted of me to refrain to open one up in a place that has high hostility to gay people, even if the fact it would run at a loss is as a result of (others’) prejudice.

Anyone who thinks it will be fine probably hasn't ever lived near a travellers pitch before.
I wouldn't want to, based purely on past experience rather than racism. And anyone who claims "a few bad apples/ unusual experience" etc I am not talking about isolated incidents or one offs either.

I wouldn’t be bothered by a small, permanent development. I’ve lived close to two in London, and didn’t even know they were there until years afterwards. The problem with travellers is when they pitch up in large groups illegally, causing damage in the process, and have no facilities so create mess. Settled travellers with amenities aren’t doing this.

not worry no but...it does de-value your home slightly!

Also - it will not be 3, double it at minimum.

I’d be concerned,based on past experience where travellers arrived nearby, there were lots of break ins, car thefts, wholesale stealing from the supermarket etc. eventually left a huge mess in their wake.

they were transient so I appreciate it’s potentially a different proposition.

Are you making an assumption that I'm white?!

The fact that there is a specific allocated site declared on the plans for traveller pitches, vs houses that anyone of any description could buy, made me think there's a reason it's mentioned. Apologies if that caused offence.

As someone previously commented, there are good and bad people in every community - my question was whether this would put others off buying the house. Judging by the mixed response, I wasn't wrong to think it might.

And for clarity, just in case it needed saying, I would have absolutely no issue living near anyone of any race (nor sexuality, gender, age, or any other characteristic!).

They’re stated as and reserved specifically for travellers as a) LAs have a legal duty to assess and have a strategy for traveller accommodation, and this will be their way of demonstrating they are doing that and b) pitches aren’t generally houses, but either static caravans or just level plots with hookup for water, gas and electricity for travellers to site their own static caravans, and often a communal kitchen and toilet block.

Realistically I think prejudice against travellers is still fairly widespread so I think it probably would affect resale.

Sadly there are a lot of racist bigots around so it may affect resale values.

I wouldn't . Absolutely not for all the reasons people are aware of .

“Are you making an assumption that I'm white?”

You can be non white and racist against travellers.
I don’t see why being half a mile away from such a small site would be an issue. Where do you all live that there are no travellers nearby and are you sure? I live rurally but have a large illegal site 2 miles away. There were issues when it was first occupied. Now years later there are several families there longer term who don’t want trouble so it has settled down.
I would only be worried if it were a large site sending lots of children to the local school. Travellers tend to value practical skills over qualifications so their children aren’t always hard working and respectful towards teachers.