Newport Gypsy sites plan to be looked at again - Gwent

From the South Wales Argus

GYPSY sites are set for yet another review by councillors after top Newport council members decided to send the issue back for scrutiny.

Newport cabinet members have decided to send an appraisal of 11 sites by officers back to a committee of councillors to see whether they are workable.

A working group from the community planning and development committee had previously set out their recommendations for Gypsy sites, but cabinet later referred the matter back to officers for further consideration.

That work is nearing completion, and according to council documents Bob Bright suggested to cabinet members that the committee considers the matter again before it is looked at by the cabinet.

A spokeswoman for Newport Council said no further comment was available from on the issue and would not explain the term ‘deliverability’ which was cited as the reason for the review.

The working group, which reported back at the end of last year, recommended that the former road safety centre at Hartridge Farm Road be the preferred residential site, with the former Ringland allotments listed as the second preferred choice for a residential site.

A small-scale site of four pitches at Brickyard Lane was considered acceptable as a contingency for housing need.

A yard next to the A449 is recommended as the preferred transit site while land at Celtic Way, Marshfield, is recommended as a fallback position for a transit site if negotiation to secure the A449 access is not successful.

A consultation into possible gypsy sites in Newport ended on October 4 and attracted 7,000 individual responses raising 40,000 issues.

In November, the cabinet decided for proposals to go back to technical officers for a detailed assessment.

A final decision on whether to amend or replace five sites already identified in the local development plan as Gypsy sites will take place when the council considers a revised local development plan in June.