ECHO COMMENT: Law suits squatters at Cheltenham police house - it should help locals
THE furore that has surrounded mother-of-11 Heather Frost’s move to Tewkesbury will not be causing much concern at Church Road in central Cheltenham.
Rather than arguing about the rights and wrongs of whether the local council should be paying for a new house for a family, local residents have the reality of a house they don’t want, occupied by people they don’t want.
In Church Road, an empty former police house has been taken over by squatters who are causing misery for the community. One has even been cheekily driving up to his “home” in a BMW sports car.
The Government’s long-awaited new laws on making squatting a criminal offence in residential premises have still not come in. But even when they do, it won’t currently apply to this building because, as a former police property, it counts as a commercial building.
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The squatters are already showing themselves to be ready to use the law to their advantage, posting a note on the door saying anyone wanting to evict them will have to go to court.
Developer New Dawn Homes, which has plans to demolish the house and build on the site, is now facing a costly legal process to get the squatters out.
In the meantime, the residents must continue to put up with the all-night parties and rubbish their unwelcome neighbours are generating.
The new legislation must ensure the law works for residents and developers - and not for squatters.
Footsteps
NOT many inspiring young businesswomen would want to follow in the footsteps of “College Hunks Hauling Junk”.
But, according to the people who work out these things, that’s exactly what Rose Brown has achieved.
At 22, the owner of PHB Ethical Beauty in Regent Street has become the youngest person ever to franchise out her own business.
And that’s testament to her ability to spot a gap in the market for ethical beauty products.
Rose says she’s achieved the franchise by reinvesting all profits and making a lot of sacrifices, like giving up on her social life.
With the shop now open in Brunei, we’d be willing to bet that she’ll be in a position to start having fun outside work again sooner rather than later.
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