Traveller site plan by autumn - Lincolnshire

From the Lincolnshire Free Press

A PLANNING application for a new Travellers site could be submitted by autumn.

Although South Holland District Council is still remaining tight-lipped about the exact location of the site, it is believed it will be to the north of the existing illegal site in Broad Drove, Gosberton Clough.

At a meeting of the council’s cabinet last week, portfolio holders were presented with a report which outlined progress made so far in negotiations with the owner for a parcel of suitable land.

After reading the report, they agreed to give delegated authority to the asset and property manager to enter into an option agreement to buy the site, conditional upon planning permission being granted.

Delegated authority was also granted to submit a planning application, buy the site if that were approved, and then award a contract for the site to be built.

Upon its completion the site would be handed over to the Travellers living on the Broad Drove site in exchange for the land they currently occupy.

Coun Christine Lawton, portfolio holder for housing landlord, who will be one of those to receive delegated authority to press ahead with the new site, said: “We have got to the point where we have identified a site and we are actively going through the process to make sure it meets all the criteria.

“The people of Gosberton Clough, the travellers and the council are all anxious to get this matter resolved, so the sooner we can do it the better for all concerned.

“If it can be done, it will be done.

“We are making progress and hopefully by the autumn we will be in a position to submit a planning application.”

The new site will be the second of two permanent sites the council was told it needed to provide by a Government inspector in 2006.

A permanent site has already been established off the A151 in Holbeach, at a cost of £1,075,834, leaving a budget of £638,682 for the second site and a temporary site already identified in Sutton Bridge.