The travellers residing on the illegal site at Dale Farm in Basildon, Essex, are continuing their fight against the local council to remain in their homes by applying to English Heritage to give a part of their site protected status.
Following the council's eviction notice, which gave the residents of the largest illegal site in the UK until the 19th September to move out, an injunction was issued preventing the bailiffs from forcefully evicting the travellers.
Legal appeals are now taking place at the High Court, but in the meantime the residents of Dale Farm hope to gain protected heritage status for the scaffolding gateway at the entrance to the site.
The gateway, which has existed for five years and is a form of defence against the bailiffs, is covered with banners and posters and is an "emblem of the struggle for travellers' rights" according to the Dale Farm residents.
Resident Kathleen McCarthy said: "We're here to fight for our rights to a normal family life, for our children to get an education and for us to have security for our homes.
"The tower is all that stands between ourselves and the bailiffs. As long as it remains standing, we know that there are people outside our community who still care about our rights."
English Heritage states that the purpose of affording things heritage status is to "protect and celebrate England's historic buildings, monuments, parks, gardens, battlefields and wreck sites, by highlighting their special interest in a national context".
The decade-long legal battle between the travellers and Basildon council continues.
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