Camper Vans Spark Controversy in Reading Greenspace

Travellers in camper vans have occupied the Foxhays Road green in Whitley, Reading - the first time "in living memory", neighbours say.

Two camper vans were spotted at around 3pm on Wednesday, August 19.

An unnamed neighbour said: "It's the first time in living memory!"

They added: "A resident has approached them and was told they can stay there for three weeks, and they have told all their mates to come and join them."

"Local residents fear the worst!!!!"

The neighbour said they had asked Reading Borough Council to install measures to stop the occupation, but the council said it did not have the money.

"A couple of years ago, people were riding quad bikes on the green, and they left tyre tracks a foot deep," the neighbour said.

A young man going to the shops said the group had been at the green for a few days. He said: "They [Travellers] used to occupy John Rabson Recreation Ground a lot." The recreation ground is nearby, next to South Reading Leisure Centre.

Another local said Thames Valley Police had engaged with the people in the vans and could return if more people arrive. He said: "I've lived here 11 years and I've never seen them on the green."

The man who reported the incursion said a council officer had asked them to leave. Councils can seek eviction orders to compel people who have set up unauthorised encampments to leave public land, but officers must assess the human rights and welfare needs of those in the encampment before taking action.

The council has no designated permanent or transit traveller sites. A plan for seven Traveller pitches and facilities in Island Road, approved in October 2022, was scrapped in 2024 because of flood risk. Neighbouring Wokingham Borough Council has two designated sites at Twyford Orchards and Carters Hill.

Advocacy group Friends, Families and Travellers has documented Traveller families facing difficulties getting planning permission to live on land they own; advice is available on its website.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter