Travellers to be sent to site - on other side of the county - Sussex

From the East Grinstead Courier and Observer

TRAVELLERS who set up camps illegally in and around East Grinstead could soon have a ready made site for police to send them to – on the other side of the county.

Councils across West Sussex are considering entering into a partnership with Sussex Police to reduce the increasing number of unauthorised encampments in the county.

The partnership will be led by West Sussex County Council and will provide a consistent approach across the county for dealing with illegal sites.

As part of this, Chichester District Council will this month discuss possible plans for a short-stay transit site for Travellers on the outskirts of Chichester. The site will be available to all West Sussex councils and will enable Sussex Police to direct Travellers who are illegally camping anywhere in West Sussex to it.

A similar site introduced in East Sussex has seen a significant reduction in the amount of unauthorised encampments in the county.

If the project is given the go-ahead and planning permission is granted, it could be available from March 2015.

There is government funding available to meet most of the costs of developing the site and all the councils across the county will share the remaining costs. West Sussex Council would be responsible for running the site.