Council orders Central Park tent people to leave or face court

Council chiefs are using a similar approach with tent dwellers in Central Park as they have used with Travellers, by issuing a Notice to Quit order.

Earlier this month PlymouthLive reported on a number of tents which had appeared at the popular park in recent weeks, with some people filming and photographing the tents while out for walks.

A couple of the tents were seen nestled up against a wall beside the Ford Park cemetery while another was spotted along a footpath by a wooded area.

One person took to a local social media site asking: “Is anyone else concerned by the number of tents being pitched and seemingly living in Central Park? There has been someone living in one since June near the cemetery entrance and in the last couple of weeks three more have appeared in other areas.

“Does anyone know who to report this to? If these people are homeless I’d like to make sure they are getting the help they need.”

Some concerned residents who live close to Central Park wrote to their ward councillor Steve Ricketts.

He replied to them in his regular newsletter: “We have worked local partner agencies and consulted our legal team. consequently we have served a Notice to Quit this afternoon with a 48hr notice for them to vacate the area. Ongoing support will be offered to the person/s in relation to housing.”

Mr Ricketts, who represents the Drake ward, later told PlymouthLive: “People who have come to me are worried. When it gets dark so early they worry because they don’t know who is in the tents or why they are there. As a council we understand the welfare issues involved and have sympathy for these people’s position but we also don’t want residents to be scared to use their own parks during the day or night.

“I’m frustrated that more hasn’t been done. I do feel the parks team should be more proactive. They should be flagging these issues up as early as possible rather than leave it for concerned members of the public to alert the council.”

A Plymouth City Council spokesman said: “Over the past week, our rough sleeping team have been working with the occupants of a number of tents in Central Park.

“Thankfully we have managed to support a number of the occupants into more suitable, secure and safe accommodation, but we are now treating the remaining tent as an unauthorised encampment and have served a Notice to Quit.”

It is not the first time tents have appeared around the city. In October 2022 PlymouthLive reported on a number of tents being set up in the shadow of the historic Royal Citadel while in May 2023 we reported on tents appearing opposite the Crown Plaza hotel at Hoe Park.

Just last month PlymouthLive reported on a fire in one of a number of tents again set up beside the Royal Citadel.

Following our reports in 2022 and 2023 John Hamblin, CEO of Shekinah – the city’s biggest homeless charity, based in Bath Street – said the presence of the tents were – as he had repeatedly pointed out – indicative of a more widespread problem in society which appeared to accept homelessness and poverty as inevitable rather than preventable.

Council information on the legal process involved:

What is a Notice to Quit?

This is a legal document that informs the occupants of the unauthorised encampment that they have 24 hours to vacate the site. The Notice to Quit is served on the occupants.

What happens if the Notice to Quit is ignored?

When the Notice to Quit expires, if it is confirmed that the group have not vacated, papers can then be prepared for the court to apply for a possession hearing. The court will tell us the date.

How long does this take?

The court sets a hearing date, usually around a week later. This is because of court rules surrounding notice periods. Once the hearing takes place, the court will determine if possession is granted and if it is, we receive a possession order which is served to the occupants signalling an eviction is going to take place.

How do you evict them?

Once we have a possession order, the Council has access to County Court bailiffs and private High Court enforcement officers. We will always use the most appropriate, depending on availability and circumstances.

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