Feltham's showpeople will not have to move from their homes after Hounslow Council decided it will not include the sites in its plans for housing.

The showpeople, who have lived in chalets and bungalows on the sites in Bedfont Lane and Station Road estate for 100 years and operate fairgrounds all over London, feared they could face a Compulsory Purchase Order from the council after the area was earmarked as a possible site for housing in the Feltham masterplan.

But on Tuesday (October 16) the council's cabinet approved its Housing Delivery Plan which sets out its pledge to secure 5,000 new homes and it does not include the showpeople sites.

Before they did so, council leader Steve Curran shook hands with the show people at a specially organised meeting.

Yasmin O'Brien's dad, John Parnham who has lived at the showpeople site all his life, shaking hands with council leader Steve Curran. Pic: Submitted. Clear for use.
John Parnham who has lived at the showpeople site all his life, shaking hands with council leader Steve Curran

Mr Curran said: "We have listened to the residents who would be affected by our proposals to redevelop the two showpeople sites in Feltham.

"Following extensive discussions with senior officers at the Greater London Authority and the Deputy Mayor for Housing, James Murray, I am pleased to say that we have agreed alternative arrangements for delivering our social housing commitments, which excludes the two showpeople sites.

"I am therefore delighted to submit our plan for approval to cabinet which will set out how we will meet our housing pledge, supported by the GLA’s investment, without including the showpeople sites.

"We remain committed to the future regeneration of Feltham, for the benefit of our residents and businesses”.

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The showpeople spoke of their fears earlier this year:

Showperson Yasmin O'Brien, who had worked tirelessly to organise a hard-fought campaign to lobby the council, said afterwards: "We are so relieved to hear that we are no longer identified in the plan and can now live in the homes we own freehold on, without the stress and strains we’ve been kept under.

"It was starting to take its toll and I felt when we went into the meeting, 'this is it today the fight really begins', and I didn’t know if I had the energy to carry on longer.

"But once we went in I knew I couldn’t just let them take our homes.

"Thankfully we came away with the great news and now can all have a great Christmas celebrating.

"The community has been behind us every step of the way - it was truly overwhelming and we can never thank them enough.

"This will be noted in history - never, ever has a community kept and welcomed showmen and given this support to save their homes. People always have a misconception and don’t look at us as the business people we are. There’s no business like showbusiness."

Hounslow Council's leader Steve Curran shaking hands with showpeople Yasmin O'Brien and Sarah James after announcing their homes will be protected from development
Showpeople Yasmin O'Brien and Sarah James with Hounslow Council's leader Steve Curran

Like all boroughs and councils, Hounslow is under considerable pressure to meet government housing targets and Mr Curran said extensive negotiations had to me made to find the financial backing needed from the GLA without using the showpeople's sites.

With more than 3,000 families currently on the council’s housing waiting list, many waiting on average three years for a permanent home, as well as some 4,500 families living in chronically overcrowded conditions, the council says the new homes are "desperately needed" in the borough.

It has pledged to build 3,000 homes for social rent and 2,000 for shared ownership, which it hopes will help to tackle severe housing need and homelessness, meet growing demands for family sized homes, and support first-time buyers into home ownership.

1,000 of the homes will be funded and built by the council itself and others by private developers.