Gypsies and Travellers in Islington say they feel intimidated by a campaign against a proposed caravan site on the Aubert Court estate, as a petition against the plan reaches 1,800 signatures. The community, which currently has no permanent pitches in the borough, claims the opposition is co-ordinated and discriminatory.
Proposal for caravan site on Aubert Court estate
Islington Council has proposed turning a small green space on the Aubert Court estate into a pitch for Gypsy and Traveller families who already live in social housing there or nearby. The council is required under the Housing Act 2004 to identify and meet the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers, but has long struggled to do so. In 2025, nine possible sites were put forward, and the Aubert Court proposal is among the latest.
Lisa Casey, 58, a member of the Traveller community, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that caretakers on Aubert Court were warning residents they would be “overrun with Travellers and feral children.” She said the land is not even a park, but disused and only accessible to residents. “We’re taking a small portion of it. Why can’t we live within the community?” she asked. “We already exist. We’ve been here probably a lot longer than a lot of these residents. We just want to give up our council homes we already live in and go back to our cultural roots.”
Petition and community fears
The ‘Friends of Aubert Park’ petition argues the plans are unsuitable given the scarcity of green spaces in Islington. “We support the need to provide suitable accommodation for Gypsy and Traveller families, but this should not come at the cost of one of Islington's scarce parks,” the petition states. “Once this space is gone, it is gone.”
Mena Mongan from advocacy group London Gypsies and Travellers said her organisation had been contacted by local residents who judged the objections were being driven by “pure discrimination.” She said opponents are “getting comments from every Tom, Dick and Harry” without considering the consequences. “These people have nothing better to do with their money than playing with people’s lives,” she added. Ms Mongan also cited academic data showing suicide rates are six to seven times higher among Gypsies and Travellers than the general population, and said the council must address this.
Council response and next steps
An Islington Council spokesperson said: “Islington is proud of its diversity and committed to meeting the housing needs of all communities, including Gypsy and Traveller residents. This is extremely challenging in a high-density borough like Islington which has very limited land for development.”
The consultation on the proposals closed on Tuesday, August 18, but late representations are being accepted until September 1. The council is reviewing responses, and the plans will later be reviewed by an independent Planning Inspector. The LDRS contacted Friends of Aubert Park for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
