Concerns over "£2.5 million" cost of building Traveller site in Lower Bristol Road - Somerset

From the Bath Chronicles

The cost of building a 13-pitch Traveller site on Lower Bristol Road in Bath has risen to more than £2.5 million, according to the Conservatives.

Opposition politicians say Bath and North East Somerset Council’s budget plans show that the initial £1.8 million price tag has gone up by an extra £750,000.

However, the local authority has said no final budget has been calculated yet but the work is necessary to stop unauthorised Traveller sites being developed around the area.

A spokesman said: “This area urgently needs Gypsy/Traveller Pitches. The current plans for Lower Bristol Road would provide 13 pitches. To deliver this site, planning consent is needed.

“Part of the application will require measures to reduce noise coming from the site and safe highways access. This is likely to have an impact on costs, although no final project budget has been established yet. In respect of the land, this is council owned.

“If these measures are not delivered, it is unlikely the 13 pitch site would be able to go ahead.”

But the opposition Conservative party has criticised the Liberal Democrats’ inability to keep a lid on the costs and councillors have pointed out that at more than £190,000 per pitch, it is likely to comparatively be one of the most expensive Traveller sites in the country.

Group leader Councillor Tim Warren said that although B&NES was recently awarded £750,000 by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to help pay for the scheme, this has not been used to bring down the local authority’s expenditure.

He said: “I think residents will question why the costs of this project are escalating so much.

“The previous £1.8 million figure was already a large amount of money to be spending on this, and we had been assured by the Lib Dems that this price tag would come down if the council could secure a Government grant towards the cost.

“Yet instead, because B&NES hasn’t kept a lid on costs, the £750,000 grant is being added to the total cost, not being used to reduce it.”

He added: “Of course the council has a responsibility to identify suitable land which can be used as Traveller sites, and the Lower Bristol Road site clearly needs to be formalised and brought up to a proper living standard as soon as possible.

“But councillors also have a duty to ensure that taxpayers’ money is being spent prudently, and if the cost of this project were kept down then the money could be used for other capital projects such as highway maintenance, road safety schemes or affordable housing.

“We are therefore urging B&NES to drill down into these costs as the current price £2.5 million, or nearly £200,000 per Traveller pitch, seems exceptionally high.”

B&NES Council has said it has not yet been given the £750,000 by the HCA, there is just an indication that the money will be available if the project is completed by March 2015.

A spokesman also outlined the reasons why the new Traveller site is needed.

He said: “Over the past ten years, there have been around 20 unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller sites across the district. In some cases, this has resulted in:

- Concerns expressed by local people and communities in which unauthorised sites have appeared due to their impact on the environment;

- Costs incurred by the local taxpayer in relation to monitoring of the unauthorised site, clean-up when the Travellers have left, and planning expenditure.

“Once the council has allocated land for pitches and facilities are in place, we will have a firm basis upon which to take robust enforcement action on unauthorised sites.

“Improved facilities on authorised sites will result in an improved local environment and more orderly surroundings compared with unauthorised sites.”

see also...Now Bath - Bath Traveller Site Cost Increases To £2.5 Million

The Daily Mail - My Big Fat Grand Design! Council plans to blow £2.5MILLION on deluxe Travellers' site which will give caravans their own driveway, lighting and soundproofing… with each one costing the same as an average first-time buyer's property

The Midsomer Norton, Radstock and District Journal - Row erupts over cost of Travellers’ site

Now Bath - £1.8 Million Limit Put On Bath Traveller Site Plans