Camden Travellers anxious over plans for long-awaited sites

Members of Camden’s Irish Traveller community who have spent years waiting for culturally suitable accommodation have said they are troubled by the Town Hall’s new development strategy.

Last week, councillors greenlit the council’s draft Local Plan for the next 15-year period to go through to the next phase of the planning process.

The strategy included sites for new housebuilding projects, alongside plots of land for the borough’s Travellers, who have been waiting for new pitches to accommodate caravans and mobile homes for years.

Two potential sites were allocated – at Freight Lane in King’s Cross, and on land adjacent to Constable House on Adelaide Road in Haverstock.

Council leader Richard Olszewski (Labour) acknowledged that the local authority was required by law to set aside these areas, “and quite right that we do so as well”.

But members of the community are “disappointed” that the proposals fall short of meeting the level of need the council identified over a decade ago, with only half of the required pitches set to be delivered under the latest plans.

Ahead of the vote, resident Philomena Maughan asked her local councillors: “Why only two sites? It probably won’t meet the full need for 16 pitches – why not three?”

She also shared concerns around there being a lack of a pitch allocation policy developed, despite the ongoing issue, and pressed her representatives over how the authority will ensure her community is involved in the decision-making process.

Former professional boxer Martin Power – son of Traveller activist Johnny Power – also told ward councillors he was “highly concerned” the plan would mean existing sites, such as the one on Castlehaven Road, would be “taken from families”.

For years, Camden was a traditional stopping place for the Traveller community, who would often pass through the canal by Camley Street.

Having moved over from Ireland, Maughan’s family settled in the borough in the 1980s, but suitable accommodation has eluded the community for years.

In December 2024, council planners enlisted non-profit advocacy group London Gypsies and Travellers (LGT) to consult local families about identifying new sites for them, which the organisation carried out free of charge.

Together, they identified a vacant plot at Bassett Street in Kentish Town, which has notably been used by an 80-strong “guerilla” gardening community, but the council ruled out this option.

“[It] would have been perfect for Travellers who already live on that street, but in unsuitable bricks and mortar, having become overcrowded on their childhood site in Castlehaven Road,” said Nancy Hawker, policy officer at LGT.

Another site was proposed at Frideswide Place, also in Kentish Town, but this option was also dropped.

“Ruling out those sites without further justification, despite the Travellers’ input, weakens the argument that there is not enough land to accommodate the full pitch need in Camden,” Ms Hawker said.

“The need is really small – the Travellers and Gypsies aren’t asking for much. And they belong here.”

Speaking to the Citizen, St Pancras and Somers Town councillor Edmund Frondigoun (Labour) assured there were “no plans” to de-allocate existing sites.

He said that this was “highly unlikely” under the current Labour administration and that he would be “deeply politically and personally opposed” if plans to do so did emerge.

“I am aware the sites are relatively small”, he added, but argued that Camden had borough-specific constraints, including a shortage of available land and a high housing target overall.

This has made it harder to deliver pitches despite their having “relatively low density”, he said.

Cllr Frondigoun added that the pitch allocation policy was “still a live issue subject to the delivery of the new identified sites”, similar to other housing projects.

“I appreciate that this will be frustrating for Ms Maughan and Mr Power, but that simply is the process and hopefully when the new site is delivered we will be able to revisit the conversation with them.”

A spokesperson for Camden Council told the Citizen it envisaged that the plot of land adjacent to Constable House could accommodate two pitches, while the land at Freight Lane could accommodate up to four.

However, more design and feasibility work was needed before this could be confirmed.

The Town Hall spokesperson added that the decision over how to deliver the accommodation was “outside the plan’s scope” and separate to the planning process, but it would fall to cabinet to determine whether the sites are taken forward.

Council officers are also yet to confirm, review and publish a pitch allocations policy, they added.

Update: this article was amended at 8.22pm on Friday 18 April 2025 to add a quote from Cllr Frondigoun.