Newsletter 1998

Newsletter Summer 1998

Summer 1998 Newsletter extract:

Land and Buying Land

There is no doubt that there is a shortage of land available in Brtain for Travellers, Gypsies and people with low imact homes to park - let alone to plant up gardens, build compost toilets and work with the land. Although there are already quite a few communities and co-ops dotted all over Brtain, they are usually pretty settled, even insular, and often become fearful for their dreams and visions of the land when travellers come to park on it. In the same breath, many travellers don't like the idea of ownership, as it is ownership that has left we commoners fenced out, even from the few remaining commons, and they don't want some traveller phobic land-owner on their back anyway.

So they are left to do the circuit, evicted from place to place and don't get the stability to provide basic amenities like compost loos or low impact housing or any long-term projects with the land before they move on.

Although communities and co-op's must be recognised for the really positive things they are doing, it is often the case that a few strong personalities are running the Show. Communal houses also can cause loads of inter political problems. However, on site, where there is no landowner or central group dictating what goes on, there is more freedom and usually a feeling of equality amongst everyone. At Brechfa for example, eveybody really pulled together as a community to carry on the school when Ross, Howard and Angela left; but as it was a site it happened really organically and everyone helped in whatever way they could.

It would be relly good if we as a people could get hold of enough money to start buying bits of land; land that would be accessible to anyone in need of a home and equally accessible to those who want to plant gardens and set up more long-term projects. The main problem at the moment is shortage of land and one more traveller-friendly piece of land would only ease the problem, but at least it would help in the ongoing battle against unsustainable planning laws. There are many legal loop holes like buying caravan parks, planting fruit trees and doing charcoal burning which can legitimise living on the land. Just planting gardens and trading with the local community can help our case. These things could then start to provide income from working sensitively and organically with the land and would provide safer stop-off points for travellers, resting protestors and people who need a safe haven from the chaos of the modern day world.

Jim