Proposals for four new gypsy and traveller sites in villages to the north of Luton have provoked anger, with Central Bedfordshire Council accused of “barging ahead without consultation”.
Parish councils in Harlington and Barton found out at Christmas that Central Beds had included the village on the ‘long list’ of potential new sites.
The list includes one site in Harlington and two in Barton, with another just north of Barton.
A council spokesman said the authority had no legal requirement to publish the long list but did so “to ensure the public is kept fully informed”.
On Monday night, hundreds of villagers crammed into a Harlington Parish Council meeting to hear about the proposals.
Frustrations began to boil over when people who had had to be accommodated in a second room could not hear what was being said.
There were calls for the council meeting to be cancelled and turned into a public meeting, with one member of the public telling council chairman Mary Walsh: “You must have known this was going to happen tonight.”
Another said: “The council has vastly under-estimated the feeling in the village about this subject – you’re not prepared.”
Suspending the meeting for a short time, Mrs Walsh said: “Be reassured that we are doing everything in our power to make this issue go away.
“We have only known about this since the Christmas break and we’ve done our best to make sure you all knew.”
A public meeting was arranged for February 18 at the village hall, starting at 7.30pm.
Councillors went on to unanimously oppose the inclusion of Harlington in the list, objecting on the grounds that the site was prone to flooding and sewage overflow, had no pedestrian access to local amenities, was on green belt land, and was located on the busy A5120.
Councillor Derrick McLeod said: “It’s top-down and they’re riding rough-shod at a time when localism is supposed to mean we are influencing them.
“It leads you to believe they are trying to pull the wool over our eyes, or rather the public’s eyes.”
Central Beds compiled the long list after a call for people to suggest sites last year failed to produce adequate numbers.
It says 130 new pitches are required up to 2031.
The Harlington site is close the village cemetery, at the junction of Westoning Road and the A5120.
The Barton sites are to the west of the village, on Faldo Road, and to the south between Luton Road and the A6. A further site is suggested for Barton Road in Pulloxhill.
The sites are owned by Central Beds, which says they are being recommended by “suitability alone” and that a statutory consultation process had been followed.
A spokesman said a shortlist would be decided at its overview and scrutiny meeting on February 28, and a full consultation would be held in late spring.
Councillor Nigel Young, responsible for sustainable communities said: “No sites, no pitches – nothing – has been decided yet.
“These site suggestions are simply a list of areas that could be suitable for gypsy and traveller pitches.
“The size of the suggested sites is in no way a depiction of how many pitches could be located there. Pitch numbers will be assessed later, but we’ll be adopting an approach based on small family units.
“What is absolutely vital to remember is that we have a statutory duty to provide appropriate accommodation to this community, just as we do for other communities.
“We consulted the public at the end of last year, including the gypsy and traveller community, about what should be in the Local Plan.”
One Barton resident, who did not want to be named, said the proposals were “a complete shock”.
“I would be very surprised if other people living in Barton will be happy about it, he said.
“This will put tremendous pressure on local school places, health services and utilities.”
Barton parish council clerk Sue Foulkes said villagers would be fully informed should the any of the sites make the shortlist.