IT is not surprising that villagers in the Micheldever are unhappy about the status of Carousel Park, a community of caravans in Basingstoke Road near the village.

When it opened around 15 years ago it was supposed to be a place for travelling showpeople to live in the winter months and store their equipment when not on the road with their circuses and fairgrounds.

Villagers say it has never been used by travelling showpeople but has instead been taken over by a wide variety of residents.

The situation has now been 'regularised' with a successful planning appeal this month by the owners, who have won the battle for Gypsies and Travellers to lawfully live there. The planning inspector has removed the requirement for only showpeople to reside at the site.

The issue was raised at the recent Micheldever Parish Assembly on page 3 of this week's issue, in the shops now.

READ MORE HERE: Villagers' frustration over lack of action over Carousel Park

One villager said: “People are petrified, they have told me things that would make your hair curl. Very few people have come tonight because they are frightened of retribution from the people in Carousel Park. It’s about time for action.”

It is hard to disagree. The meeting heard that the council has been taking enforcement action but only served to show the seeming feebeleness of the council in enforcing its own planning policy. That is certainly the view of the people living in the Micheldever area.

The snag with all this is once a council gets a reputation for being a soft touch then word spreads and others are inclined to cock a snook as has happened in several places in the Southern Parishes.

There is an argument that serious enforcement costs money but unless sufficient funds are set aside for upholding planning policy at an early stage things will drift and more money is spent further down the line. A vicious circle is created. It is time to try to arrest that decline.