Rushcliffe Borough Council has announced that its temporary ban on unauthorised encampments in Ruddington’s Country Park – and at four other key sites it owns – has been made permanent for three years.
The authority presented a case before Nottinghamshire County Court yesterday (September 23rd) prohibiting encampments being established at Rushcliffe Country Park – along with Rushcliffe Arena, Gresham Park, The Hook and West Park in West Bridgford – until September 2022.
It follows a two-week interim injunction being granted by the same court on September 16th after no less than seventy unauthorised encampments were recorded on public and private land across the borough within the last five years, including a group of travellers who set up home for a week in the car park at Rushcliffe Country Park last year until an eviction notice could be obtained and served.
The Council says the five key sites were identified for the order due to the impact on residents using facilities at these locations and the operational effect on the sites with nine encampments during the same period costing the Council over £26,000 in clear up and enforcement costs.
Anyone found setting up an encampment at one of the unauthorised sites during this time can now be found in breach of the order and held in contempt of court, liable to imprisonment, fined or have assets seized in conjunction with community safety partners.
Leader of the Council Cllr Simon Robinson said: “The order will act as a deterrent and reduce delays in removing groups from some of our key council-owned sites. Protecting our residents is of paramount importance and given how popular these public sites are, we felt it vital to secure a longer injunction. In the past options to take swift action have at times been restricted. Eviction is not always possible but now we can respond more effectively with the support of our community safety partners.”
However, Cllr Robinson added: “We were again careful the injunction application considered any group’s rights to continue to enjoy any associated historic lifestyle. The message is clear though, we will do all we can to protect our residents from the effects of unauthorised encampments at these key sites.”
Earlier this year, Rushcliffe Country Park raised its thirteenth consecutive Green Flag Award – acknowledging it as one of the very best parks in the UK.
