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Gypsy site short-list is drawn up
Central Beds Council’s sustainable communities overview and scrutiny committee has recommended a ‘short-list’ list of seven sites for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation.
The committee heard from 34 representatives from the community when they debated a ‘long-list’ of 32 possible site locations as part of the Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan.
The seven proposed sites accommodating an estimated 66 possible pitches that would help to fulfil the need for the next ten years will now be considered by the council’s Executive in March.
The recommended sites and number of proposed pitches on each are:
* Land South West of Park Corner Farm and South of Dunton Lane – 10 pitches
* Land East of Potton Road and South of Ram Farm – 10 pitches
* Land South of Fairfield and West of Stotfold Rd – 10 pitches
Kennel Farm Holdings, to the east of Biggleswade, was recommended separately as a site for accommodation for travelling show people.
The committee also recommended to the Executive that the Council look to plan for a total 157 Gypsy and Traveller and 22 pitches for travelling show people in the period up to 2031. The council will look at means of meeting the outstanding allocation required.
The committee recommended that the Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan – which was consulted on in September last year – would be approved for publication too. The recommendations will now go before the council’s Executive and then full Council.
Councillor Nigel Young, executive member for sustainable communities (strategic planning and economic development) said: “We’re acutely aware of the significance of this debate for both the settled and the traveller communities and this was reflected in the numbers of people who attended the meeting.
“Identifying a shortlist of sites has not been easy and the recommendations that the committee made to Executive have been based on the three waves of assessment, visits we’ve made to each site and comments and feedback we’ve received from the community.
“It was important to us to listen to as many representations as we could and we’ve also received more than 3,000 written representations beforehand as well.
“These sites will provide 66 pitches and will help fulfil our requirements for appropriate accommodation for the next ten years.
The Council’s Executive will look at these recommendations before full Council and then we will open it for full public consultation later in the spring.”
Following Council, the Gypsy and Traveller Local Plan with site allocations will be open for public consultation in May or June.
It will then go to the Secretary of State for consideration, along with the results of the consultation.
Meeting dates and updates will be posted to the Gypsy and Traveller pages of the Central Beds Council website at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/gypsytravellerplan
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Weather for Biggleswade
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light showers
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