UK tent city on one of London's richest streets to be torn down
The Express visited the site on Park Lane which is almost entirely populated by beggars from Romania.
Notice has been served on a homeless encampment in one of London's most wealthy neighbourhoods.
Last month, the Express visited Park Lane’s tent city and discovered multiple generations of families living there who hail from Romania and are involved in organised begging.
The site, which has continued to grow exponentially since mayor of London Sadiq Khan vowed to eradicate rough sleeping, was also occupied by teens from the Eastern European nation who claimed to be using it as a base to go and find work.
Although the group were receiving donations from businesses and local well-wishers, other residents and tourists have been complaining about them using Westminister Council’s online portal.
Complaints allege campers have been urinating, behaving anti-socially and defecating, as they urged action from authorities.
“It is a major embarrassment to Londoners and the wider public. This can have an adverse effect on tourists coming to this country,” one complainant wrote.
The issue was also highlighted by Conservative councillor Paul Swaddle and West End by-election candidate Tim Barnes.
"You see all sorts of human impact problems around it,” Barnes said. “There's human excrement underneath some of these trees. There's litter everywhere, as well as the tents themselves.
"It's something that’s discussed and brought up with us not just by residents, but also with tourists and by many of the authorities that are involved, and particularly by those who live nearby in the streets immediately behind, who are regularly harassed by some of the people who are here and occasionally threatened.”
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The land where the camp is based is owned by Transport for London who confirmed to the Express that they were engaged in the legal process of removing the squatters.
TfL has been granted a possession order to reclaim the site but said it was doing this alongside work to “prioritise the safety and welfare of everyone currently sleeping rough there”.
"No one should be faced with sleeping rough on London’s streets. Park Lane is a busy part of the road network that is not a safe place for people to sleep rough and our focus is on the safety and welfare of everyone involved,” a TfL spokesperson added.
“We have been granted a possession order for the encampment on Park Lane following a hearing at the Central London County Court.
“In parallel, and if required, we are now ready to follow the next stages of the legal process towards gaining possession of the site in consultation with our partner agencies.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with partner agencies to prioritise the safety and welfare of everyone currently sleeping rough there.
“This includes continuing to work with outreach partners who can help individuals access the available and appropriate support.”
Do you have any information about organised begging of a similar camp? Contact zak.garnerpurkis@reachplc.com
