26-06-2025
'Intolerable risk to life' at Irish Traveller site, says London council
Irish Travellers living on London's largest authorised caravan site are being asked to leave due to fire safety concerns.
The local council says that Lynton Close is overcrowded and has requested that many of the residents move to temporary "bricks and mortar" housing in the area while improvements are made.
More than 200 people are living on the site, with over 70 caravans and mobile homes there.
A fire risk assessment last year found that it posed an "intolerable risk to life" as many caravans and mobile homes were parked too close together.
Brent Council also said that there should be only 31 caravans at Lynton Close, which is close to Wembley Stadium.
However, the community argues that moving to "bricks and mortar" accommodation is not "culturally appropriate" and it wants an alternative site in the area instead.
Bernie Corcoran, originally from Galway, has been living at Lynton Close for almost 40 years.
"We never lived in bricks and mortar. It's not our culture and we're never going to give up our culture," he insists.
Mr Corcoran says the council should have expanded the site several years ago to prevent the current situation.
He agrees that it is overcrowded but explains that there is a deep unease among residents about moving into temporary housing as they fear they could end up being left there permanently.
They also want to stay living as a community.
"We've been here most of our lives. Our kids grew up here. Now we have our grandkids living here. We don't want to leave this area. We want to stay in Brent, our kids are going to school here, our doctor is here," he explains.
Mr Corcoran believes an alternative temporary caravan site can be found in the area.
Chief Executive of Brent Council Kim Wright insists that no resident will be forced to leave the Brent area and that "bricks and mortar" housing is available for all licensed residents at Lynton Close.
"The situation we've got is that it's an overcrowded site. We want to bring it back into safe and legal limits and we're asking the residents to take off the site those caravans and mobile homes that don't have any legal basis to be there.
"We're also offering to support them by temporarily providing them with accommodation off the site so that we can bring it back into those safe and legal limits," Ms Wright explains.
She says she understands that residents want to remain living in their caravans and mobile homes but there is an urgent need to address fire safety concerns.
"We welcome travellers in Brent and we absolutely celebrate their culture and their heritage but the fact remains that we've got a site currently that has got an intolerable risk to life."
Rhianna Ketley, from London Gypsies and Travellers, a non-profit organisation, says that local authorities across London have ignored repeated warnings about the lack of suitable accommodation.
Rhianna Ketley, from London Gypsies and Travellers, a non-profit organisation, says that local authorities across London have ignored repeated warnings about the lack of suitable accommodation.
"There's a chronic lack of gypsy and traveller sites across London and Brent is just an extreme example of this.
"There's been an identified need for 90 pitches in Brent for gypsy and traveller communities but the latest local plan, which was approved by the council in 2022, allowed for zero.
"So this issue of overcrowding on gypsy and traveller sites is the result of decades of chronic neglect from local authorities", Ms Ketley says.
Mr Corcoran hopes that a resolution can be found, insisting that he is willing to work with the local authority to find one.
Brent Council has identified approximately 70 potential sites in the area for temporary and permanent traveller accommodation.
Ms Wright says that "not all" will be appropriate but the council is committed to engaging with the community on the matter.
