Travellers' sites could spark unrest – council leader

A traveller site has been built in Bones Lane, New Chapel, without permission

A council leader has warned that the continued construction of authorised traveller sites in Surrey could spark "serious unrest".

Catherine Sayer, of Tandridge District Council, said the issue was causing "unhappiness and friction in the community", as traveller communities were buying greenbelt land and building on it without permission.

She said that she had spent six out of the last seven weekends dealing with issues about traveller sites.

Friends, Families and Travellers, a non-profit organisation, said provision of official spaces for travellers was "virtually non-existent".

'Stuck in limbo'

It comes after an unauthorised travellers' site appeared in Bones Lane, New Chapel, on Friday, with heavy machinery, construction materials and caravans moved onto the land.

Meanwhile, greenbelt land was recently bulldozed to create a site in Alfold, near Cranleigh.

Residents reportedly stood in front of construction lorries in an attempt to block them.

Ms Sayer said enforcement of planning legislation was a drain on local authority finances and took a long time as travellers owned the land.

She added that the council had met the needs of the traveller community.

However, Friends, Families and Travellers said that "too many families remain stuck in limbo".

"Without somewhere safe to stop, families are denied access to vital services like sanitation, healthcare and education," a spokesperson added.

"Increasing access to safe stopping places, like sites, can give gypsy and traveller families the stability and dignity that every community deserves."

The organisation welcomed plans by the authority to provide land for the community but added that "promises must be met with delivery."

Tandridge District Council said it was working to provide land for the traveller community

Last week, a public inquiry into an unauthorised development on a field at Tanhouse Road, in Oxted, was adjourned for a fourth time to January 2026.

A Tanhouse Road resident previously told the BBC that they were shocked by the speed at which the site appeared.

The resident also complained that creating the site was "quite destructive", with trees and shrubs taken down and hardcore placed on the field.