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Caravan Dwellers In the Borough.
During the past few years a great deal has been said about the people who station
their caravans on sites in the Borough. These sites are usually the Rathbone Street area,
land known as Vernons Fields, adjoining King George Avenue, and the land adjoining the roadside
on the Beckton by-pass near to the East Ham boundary. One hears such remarks as "Why
don't the Council do something about it?" and "The whole site is unhealthy and a nuisance
and the Health .Department does nothing about it."
The position is that the Health Department and the Public Health Inspectors in
particular are most concerned about the problem and spend a great deal of time trying to
persuade the caravan dwellers to move on and not to return. Since March 1953, 2,126 visits
have been made to these sites and 133 summonses issued as a result. The persons who occupy
the caravans, apart from the genuine showmen who usually occupy the Rathbone Street site,
are of the gypsy type and have no permanent residence. During the spring, summer and
autumn they spend their time in the adjoining counties planting peas and potatoes, attending
fairs, and in fruit and hop-picking, and pull on to sites in West Ham during the winter
months hoping to remain there until the spring. They appear to exist solely by selling
clothes pegs and artificial flowers from door to door. The genuine showmen usually occupy
well-equipped modern caravans, are provided with portable sanitation, and one has little
fault to find with them in this respect. They do, however, encourage other caravan
dwellers on to the sites and, if not made to move on, a large colony is likely to be formed.
Such colonies may consist, in addition to the ordinary gypsy caravan, of old bus bodies,
converted pantechnicons and other make-shifts.
The legal provisions applicable to the sites in West Ham are the Public Health Act
1936, Sections 268/269, and the Bye-laws for the Good Rule and Government of the Borough of
West Ham.
The Public Health Act 1936, Sections 268/269 provide, briefly, as follows:-
1. Where land is used as a site for movable dwellings for more than 42 consecutive
days or for 60 days in any consecutive twelve months, the owner is required to
obtain a licence from the Local Authority for such use of the land.
2. Where the owner of a movable structure desires to place it for similar periods on
land not licensed under (l) he is required to obtain a licence to rest, station
and use such particular movable dwelling from the Local Authority.
3. The Local Authority when granting licences under (1) or (2) may attach such
conditions as they think fit. There is a right of appeal against refusal or
against the conditions attached.
4. Such structures, although licensed, must also comply with Bye-laws relating to
tents, vans and sheds if in force in the district.
Section 269 does not apply to:-
1. Structures to which the building bye-laws apply,
2. (a) movable dwellings used in connection with a dwelling-house,
(b) movable dwellings used by travelling shows etc.,
(c) organisations using movable dwellings to whom the Minister has granted
Certificates of Exemption.
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