Plans to keep Saltpans clear of abandoned cars for good
A STRIP of land in St Sampson’s that has long been occupied by abandoned vehicles may soon be cleared once and for all.
The land is beside Saltpans Road, just east of the entrance to an empty vinery site that was once going to become a data park.
It sits next to an area that has been designated for housing in a draft development framework published in 2019, although the actual strip itself is part of an area classed as ‘important open land’ in the framework.
It has a long history of vehicles being abandoned on it and one former resident said that when he lived there between 1989 and 2017 the police would occasionally have a clampdown and the cars would be removed, but a few months later more would appear.
The land is owned by Kenilworth Vineries and company director Geoff Dorey who said the company had been in talks with the St Sampson’s douzaine about having the abandoned vehicles removed and for efforts to be made to keep the area clear.
‘Every 18 months or so the douzaine gets hold of me and asks, “Can we do something about these vehicles?”,’ he said.
‘I’ve said the company is pleased to cooperate, so the plan has been that they get the police to clear the cars, or they give notice the cars are going to be cleared, and make all the arrangements.’
Once this is done, Mr Dorey said he would make arrangements for large boulders to be placed on the land to prevent vehicles being abandoned there. He said it had looked like the talks were going to bear fruit but the lockdown had caused a resolution to be delayed.
St Sampson’s senior constable Paul Le Pelley said the douzaine had had to miss two meetings due to the restrictions in place.
‘The cars are on private land and they are causing a public nuisance,’ said Mr Le Pelley. ‘The matter is under review and we are looking at ways of resolving the situation. There are all sorts of implications and we have been in talks with the owners of the land.’
