£1.3m Exeter Travellers' camp may not have enough Travellers - Devon

From the Exeter Express and Echo

A planned Traveller site at Haldon, near Exeter, could leave a Devon council paying back a £1.2 million grant because there are not enough Travellers.

The grant came to Teignbridge District Council from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to pay for the Haldon site, health and safety work and indemnity of the costs of taking enforcement action against unauthorised encampments.

Now it turns out that nine of the original families are moving off the site into housing and don’t want to return.

Notices placed on the site have resulted in 11 expressions of interest in living on the newly created site but their are concerns that not all of those applicants will meet the criteria for the site and three have registered with Devon Home Choice indicating that they may ultimately be housed permanently elsewhere.

It all means the site could be under-occupied site with mainly single people

A council spokesman said: “This potentially places the authority at a financial risk of £40k per annum.

“Most significantly, the Homes and Communities Agency have advised the council that should the site cease to operate they are entitled to require repayment in full of the £1.12m grant.

“Assurances have been sought from the HCA that they would not do so but these have not been given.

“Should the site cease to operate, the land value is likely to be a very small fraction of the grant value, leaving the council at risk of having to repay most if not all of the £1.12m back to the agency.”

see also: The Plymouth Herald - Official A38 travellers site may close as Travellers won't use it

The Western Morning News - Travellers' site at beauty spot now 'unlikely'

The BBC - Haldon Hill Travellers site may be ditched