Near Toulouse. This mayor blocks the caravans of Travelers who have come to settle illegally
By Thibaut Calatayud
Published on
Thierry Duhamel fist strip on the table. The mayor (DVG) of the municipality of Fenouilletclose to Toulousetired of seeing part of the Traveler community illegally occupying the shores of Garonne.
“This situation has gone on for too long”
According to the Haut-Garonne municipality, it has already been four months that caravans occupy the former karting site.
“Little by little, they were joined and the camp spread over the Ramiers football fields, around the mini-racing and even still in the parking lot of the bowling alley. For the Mayor of Fenouillet, enough is enough , this situation has gone on for too long!”
Faced with this situation, the municipality took legal action. With success… or almost. If a first decision of the administrative court ordered the eviction of these caravans in June, this did not prevent other vehicles from coming to settle on this municipal site. “They asserted the right that they were not concerned by the summary in force. A new procedure was therefore initiated immediately, ”explains the town hall in a press release.
Caravans have been blocked
“Weary of the exorbitant costs” generated by these facilities and considering the situation urgent, in particular because of several upcoming events (the major local petanque tournament, the start of construction of the new leisure center on the banks of the Garonne and the finalization of work to bury a high voltage line), the town hall decided to go on the offensive this Friday, August 5, 2022.
For this, the city councilor of Fenouillet asked a bailiff to sequester the Ramiers site. “People who are illegally installed can travel with their light vehicle, even some trucks. But the caravans can no longer leave or enter the site, ”announces Mathieu Lucchini, collaborator in the mayor’s cabinet, to Toulouse News.
“The day the eviction is ordered and the police come, no one will be able to resettle.”
Three spots taken at Fenouillet
If some vehicles preferred to leave the place before the blockage, there are still around twenty caravans on this site located on the banks of the Garonne.
“Of course, we are talking about an emergency situation here. As a permanent solution, a new anti-intrusion gate as well as urban development are planned in the coming months to avoid and ratify this new device, ”explains the municipality, must stop the arrival of caravans.
In addition to this site, this town in northern Toulouse has two other points of illegal occupation on private land. The first is near the La Galerie Espaces Fenouillet shopping center, in the former Finagaz site. The former SOFERTI factory is also a popular spot for caravans of travellers.
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