Council rules line through traveller site

NEW traveller sites planned for North Somerset are unlikely to be in Clevedon, Nailsea or Portishead, council chiefs have revealed.

North Somerset Council has been told by the Government it has to provide a further 36 residential, long stay pitches and 10 new transit short stay pitches for travellers by 2011.

Authority leaders have been searching for several months for potential sites and have now revealed they are concentrating their efforts on finding suitable land in the south of the district – in the area in and around Weston-super-Mare.

Sites across the whole of North Somerset have been considered, but so far none which have been looked at in the north of the area – in Clevedon, Nailsea and Portishead – have proved suitable.

Discussions are now taking place between landowners and council bosses and it is expected that details of potential sites will be revealed later this summer.

North Somerset Council deputy leader, Councillor Elfan ap Rees, said: "It is a Government requirement that we have to provide these sites. We do see the provision of these sites as a priority as we appreciate that travellers in transit can cause problems for local communities.

"We have held preliminary discussions with landowners about potential sites and are currently concentrating our search in the south of the district.

"This is because we have not identified a realistic potential site in the northern part of the district. We have been looking at a variety of sites irrespective of the ownership of the land and if necessary, would consider a compulsory purchase of any suitable site.

"We hope to make some progress on identifying potential sites within the next couple of months. I can confirm that none of the areas we are currently looking at are close to existing residential developments where there could be the potential for friction with established communities.

Currently, there are 42 residential pitches in six locations across the district, but there are no transit pitches. The council already has a travellers' camp at Willowmead at Locking Castle which offers five pitches. There is also the privately owned camp, Moorland Park, at Hewish which is owned by local businessman, Peter Penfold and has 33 pitches.

There are also other pitches at Box Bush Lane and at Travellers Rest, Puxton, and at Clevedon Road, Failand. The new transit pitches will allow the council to move on travellers who turn up and set up camp on illegal sites.

All travellers using any of the pitches will have to pay rent in order to cover the cost of running the sites.

Local residents across the district have already encountered problems with illegal traveller encampments.

Over the past few years, travellers have parked up on the Beach Lawns in Weston-super-Mare and at land at Marshall's Field in Clevedon.

In June 2006, a convoy of 12 traveller caravans moved onto a park at Hawthorn Way, Nailsea, staying several days and leaving a trail of destruction behind them.

Travellers also caused chaos when they forced their way on to parkland at the rear of The Elms in Wraxall.

The group stayed two weeks before being moved on and left a mess, including broken trees and soiled toilet paper over the children's playground.