Unhygienic van conversions being used as housing, must be stopped

Sapphire

Cakeguts wrote: »

If they are on land belonging to Sainsbury's I think that Sainsbury's would be responsible for contacting the local council rough sleepers department. However I do think that any member of the public could do that?

According to the council, the land doesn't belong to Sainsbury's, but to some flats next to it that also own the car park. People have contacted the council to report the fly tipping, etc, but it says it's 'not its responsibility', but that of the people who own the flats. The response from the council has also been that these people would 'just move somewhere else' – hardly a solution to the problem. :rotfl:

I believe Sainsbury's may have complained as well (must be very bad for business), and that the people have been moved a couple of times (though the huge piles of filthy unhygienic detritus were not disposed of), but they returned. I'd have thought it would be simple enough for the owners of the land to erect a strong metal barrier around the entrance to the car park to prevent the fly tipping, etc.

fatbeetle

We lived in our campervan for 9 months last year, while rebuilding our house. It's a means to an end, with the advantage of being able to go on holiday in it.

Cakeguts

fatbeetle wrote: »

We lived in our campervan for 9 months last year, while rebuilding our house. It's a means to an end, with the advantage of being able to go on holiday in it.

Yes but you probably did that with it parked on your own land. Would you like a couple of people to live in campervans parked on your garden with nowhere to empty their toilets?

Cakeguts

Sapphire wrote: »

According to the council, the land doesn't belong to Sainsbury's, but to some flats next to it that also own the car park. People have contacted the council to report the fly tipping, etc, but it says it's 'not its responsibility', but that of the people who own the flats. The response from the council has also been that these people would 'just move somewhere else' – hardly a solution to the problem. :rotfl:

I believe Sainsbury's may have complained as well (must be very bad for business), and that the people have been moved a couple of times (though the huge piles of filthy unhygienic detritus were not disposed of), but they returned. I'd have thought it would be simple enough for the owners of the land to erect a strong metal barrier around the entrance to the car park to prevent the fly tipping, etc.

Someone needs to contact the freeholder or managing company of the flats. The leaseholders of the flats probably think it is something the council should be doing. It isn't down to the council it is down the the freeholder of the flats if they want to do something about it.

Sea_Shell

It sounds like the problem isn't so much the fact they're living in vans, it's that they are slovenly.

They'd still be slovenly if they lived in a bricks and mortar house. Some people just have no regards to other people, property or environment. Where they live doesn't change that, sadly.

Comms69

triathlon wrote: »

About three years in my village we had to have three large vans removed which were converted into stealth living quarters which were starting to become an eyesore. - the only way to have a vehicle removed is if it's not correctly licenced / taxed to be on the highway I have since seen hundreds if not thousands of these types of vans littered all over the county and now the country, and those are the ones that are obvious and I detect, some are not so easy.

1. Are these drop outs receiving housing benefit? - No-one can know that for sure.
2. Is there perfectly good rental housing they could afford?(i say yes) -literally no idea, I don't know where you live
3. Is there a serious health and safety issue here, not to mention hygiene. - no

Sorry a load more of them today and and they now seem to be setting up sites, seen the FB group they use.

No idea what you're talking about, but no, you have no right to have anyone removed from any public location.

Gwendo40

OP if I were you were you I'd be far more concerned about your own mental health and well being.

''Obsessed'' doesn't even come close to describing your all consuming fixation with all things property related.

triathlon

Sapphire wrote: »

I've also noticed a similar sort of thing – in London. There's a group of individuals outside a Sainsbury's, who have encamped in an area underneath the drive to a car park. They are not there all the time, but the piles of unhygienic detritus is (filthy mattresses, plastic bags, cardboard and so on). When there is someone there, they are shouting at each other in a foreign language and at passers-by. It is unpleasant and intimidating, so I just avoid the area. They look as though they are from the Middle East. Not sure why they haven't been deported. Must be good for the Sainsbury's store.

People use the excuse of "free spirits" or "alternate lifestyle" and "freedom of the road", but we have enough people in caravans causing mayhem in the UK who camp wherever they want, we do not need this becoming thousand times worse. And for the people on here saying there is no such thing and they have not seen it, it is called stealth van living, they are all over FB for example and go out of their way to make sure they just look like old commercial vehicles with nobody living inside.

They do not have to live in my or anyone else's rental property, they can buy. But what we don't need is this country starting to look third world, I would be ashamed if my son decided to live like this.

triathlon

Gwendo40 wrote: »

OP if I were you were you I'd be far more concerned about your own mental health and well being.

''Obsessed'' doesn't even come close to describing your all consuming fixation with all things property related.

Envy does not even come close to describing you.

MovingForwards

I better warn a lot of my friends who own converted vans not to use them for holidays or park the vans near someone's property whilst on holiday in case the net curtain twitches.....

My goodness, if people are living in a converted van it's either (1) through choice and it's freedom to move around or (2) through choice as they can't afford to rent somewhere due to the high cost of rent.