Last remaining Edinburgh Traveller family in Granton ordered to leave site earmarked for £100m art gallery
Last remaining original Traveller family told to leave illegal Granton site
The final remaining Traveller family living at an illegal site in Granton owned by the Scottish Government have lost their appeal to stay there.
A handful of Traveller families had lived since around 2019 at the east end of the site, which is set to be transformed into an approved state-of-the-art home for Scotland's national collection of 130,000 artworks, The Art Works, as part of the wider Granton Waterfront development.
In January, the families were given an eviction notice to leave the site by the end of that month. The families appealed and the court case took place earlier this month, with the Traveller families arguing their case in front of a judge.
However, since the court appearance, most of the remaining families have now left the site, with only one family remaining in Granton.
And now a judgement has been issued at the Court of Session by Lady Tait, with the BBC reporting that she has ordered the family to leave the site immediately, adding that the government's claim on the land was "legitimate". The family argued that being removed from the site without a "culturally appropriate" alternative being provided would breach their human rights.
Jim, who asked us not to reveal his surname, had been left in limbo there with his wife and their 11 children.
Speaking last week before the judgement was delivered, he said: “We are still here. The other families have moved on. We are the only original family left. They just got up and left as they had permanent places to go, with some going back to Ireland and all of them leaving Scotland.
“We have nowhere else to go. We've put down roots here, we are happy here, with our kids at school and us all registered with the local doctor's surgery.”
Lady Tait said the Scottish Government's need to recover the land was legitimate and the family would have to leave the site with "immediate effect".
She added: "The children do not have access to basic sanitation. Their current living arrangements give rise to concerns for their safety as they live on an insecure site, occupied by an itinerant community, and they require to go outside for the toilet at night.
"I conclude that there is no less intrusive measure than eviction and that the importance and urgency of the petitioners' objectives outweigh the severity."
The recent court appearance came as local residents living near the illegal site complained again about issues with people living there.
One local resident, who asked not to be named, said: “Residents are becoming increasingly concerned about the situation, as we continue to experience dangerous and intimidating incidents in the area.
“Residents have been left feeling extremely unsafe in their own community. This is causing a great deal of fear and distress among local residents, particularly as it feels as though the situation is continuing without a clear resolution or timescale of the Travellers being moved.”
Jim was quick to defend his family and the fellow long-term Traveller residents who recently left, pointing the blame for recent incidents on other Travellers who have moved into the west end of the site.
He said: “We have nothing to do with them, the police have not been down to see us. These incidents have nothing to do with us. I'm sick of the comments online about us, it's not us causing issues.
"We just want to live in peace and integrate into this community that we have called home for years now.
"I've actually today been cleaning up the mess the other people have made, it's already looking better. We have pride in our area and hate to see it become a mess.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government notes the Court of Session's published judgement.
“This is a complex situation and we continue to work closely with the City of Edinburgh Council which is responsible for ensuring support is properly provided to those affected to access housing, education and health support.
“Development and construction work for The Art Works is due to begin once the site is clear. A completion date has not yet been confirmed.”
The City of Edinburgh Council declined the opportunity to comment.