Council plans to expand Traveller site - Berkshire

From GetWokingham

Blueprints to expand a Gypsy and Traveller site that suffers from overcrowding require the purchase of more land to provide extra pitches.

Wokingham Borough Council has met residents of Twyford Orchards to show them plans to expand the existing site in London Road, Twyford, using more than £500,000 of Government cash.

However, in order for the plans to go ahead, the council needs to buy 0.65 hectares of adjoining land and negotiations are at present ongoing with the landowner.

Overcrowding on the Twyford Orchards site has been blamed on the expansion of existing residents’ families and the change to larger mobile homes from touring caravans around which the site was originally planned.

The council has been cracking down on overcrowding at the site, taking legal action against anyone who has pulled onto Twyford Orchards for the last 18 months.

Last year, the council took proceedings in the county court to remove one family. This took a number of months and “significant resources”, according to the council.

Councillor Keith Baker, executive member for Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) liaison, said: “We have been aware for a while of overcrowding at Twyford Orchards and we need to address this to improve the residents’ living conditions.

“By expanding the site, it will alleviate overcrowding by providing better spacing of pitches.

“We will not be allowing more families to move onto the site and we have made it clear we will take enforcement action should this happen.

“The meeting on February 23 was our first opportunity to show the residents our proposals and they were well received but obviously there are lots of questions that we don’t yet have the answers to.

“We will be working closely with all site residents so their views can be taken into account in the changes.

“In partnership with Housing Solutions, we were recently awarded £575,000 by the Homes and Communities Agency, which will be used to expand and refurbish the site, should we get planning approval.”

Twyford Orchards has 16 pitches and is owned and managed by the council.

It has been a Traveller site for more than 30 years and has little turnover.

Site resident David Stevens said: “This is a chance to sort out the overcrowding on the site. The council has said that no-one will be brought onto site. Me and my family will get a pitch near to my extended family.”

A planning application is expected to be submitted this summer and residents and interested parties will have the chance to comment during the public consultation period.