'Travellers' site expansion will be a one-off' - Berkshire

From the Twyford Advertiser

Members of Ruscombe Parish Council have said they are confident the go-ahead for expansion of a Travellers site into greenbelt land is a 'one-off that will never be repeated'.

The planning committee of Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) agreed on Wednesday last week to provide four new pitches and extra space for families already on the Twyford Orchards site in London Road.

The move was made to address overcrowding, fire issues and safety for people already living there.

WBC has stressed enforcement action would be taken against any new families who try to move in.

The work will be paid for with £575,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and £825,000 of WBC cash.

A tendering process for the contract will now begin with a view to starting the work as soon as possible and a long-term lease has been secured for the greenbelt land.

Jeremy Hardman, planning chairman for Ruscombe Parish Council, said: "The parish council is confident the development control committtee (DCC) approval of this 'special circumstances' application in the greenbelt is a one-off that will never be repeated."

He added it was encouraging the DCC members endorsed, as a matter of principle, parish councillor's commitment to protecting the greenbelt from inappropriate development.

WBC has also been tasked by the Government to complete a survey that will determine whether it has provided enough pitches for Traveller families across the borough.

Cllr Keith Baker, cabinet member for Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) liaison, stressed the Twyford Orchards expansion was about safety and a separate issue. "The site has to be redesigned to be consistent with current fire rules and regulations," he said.

He added the borough-wide Traveller review would be completed 'imminently'.

"It could be that we need to build 50 pitches, or none at all, but until we get those numbers we can't start identifying potential sites," he said. Cllr Baker stressed that if any new pitches were needed they would most likely be built in the south of the borough.