National funding secured to maintain high quality Travellers’ site - Cambridgeshire

From the Haverhill Echo

Just over £1 million of Government funding has been secured to bring an existing Travellers’ site in Whaddon up to modern standards.

The funding from the Homes and Communities Agency – which was only available to invest in Traveller accommodation – will mean day rooms can be built at the 14 pitches on the site as well as a new lease of life being given to shower and toilet blocks that were built in the 1980’s.

The investment in the site will also allow heating to be installed in the utility blocks as none currently exists and two extra pitches will be added at the site through better use of the land.

The successful bid for funding was confirmed in a report published today, that will be presented to South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Cabinet on Monday 14 January.

The report also reaffirmed the district council’s commitment to continuing to run the County Council owned Travellers’ sites at Whaddon and Blackwell – a site off the A14 near Milton – but said that plans to purchase the sites were now on hold as the county council is reviewing whether to sell them.

To secure the £1.1 million of central government funding £300,000 from the district council will also be needed for the project, but the council’s investment will be recouped in full from rental income collected at the site.

The funding from the council will need to be approved by councillors at the annual budget setting meeting of Full Council in February.

Cllr Mark Howell, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “It is good news we have secured the central government funding as without investment the site would start to deteriorate very quickly.

“We are proud that the sites we run work very well and making sure facilities are of the highest quality is important to the people living there as well as their neighbours.

“The worst result for all parties would be if the site was not invested in now as we might then face the prospect of it not being habitable in the future and we would need to find accommodation for the families living at the site elsewhere in the district.”

If councillors agree the plans at the meeting in January it is expected work could begin on the site this summer.