Plans submitted to expand gypsy and traveller site in south Wales

Anthony Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans have been submitted to expand a gypsy and traveller site in south Wales to help meet growing demand for accommodation.

Rhondda Cynon Taff council has submitted planning application for the extension to the existing Beddau Gypsy and Traveller site.

Based upon evidence in the Gypsy and Traveller Needs Assessment 2022 a need has been identified within RCT for 27 new pitches by 2037.

The extension to this existing site is seen as an opportunity by
RCT of working towards meeting that demand for the borough, the design and access statement submitted with the application says.

It says the project requires that design proposals maximise the development potential of the designated site with a minimum provision of nine new pitches and with a possible maximum provision of a further five pitches in a future phase.

It says: “The project and proposals should consider existing site constraints including ecological and arboricultural features as well as the need for ecological enhancements and a strategy for green infrastructure and SuDS.

“The layout and configuration of the site and the individual pitches themselves must be developed to align with the WG Guidance for Designing Gypsy and Traveller Sites 2015 edition, WG Model Standards 2008 for Caravan Sites in Wales, along with relevant health and safety requirements and local planning
policy.”

It says other requirements include a children’s play area and a site management office and that the site layout should be configured efficiently, limiting the need for retaining structures where possible.

The land that is part of this application is adjacent to the existing Beddau Gypsy and Traveller site in Penycoedcae Road at the northern fringe of Beddau.

It is currently largely undeveloped land covered extensively with native trees and scrub.

The site has historically been used as accommodation for Gypsy and non-Gypsy households and site conditions previously stipulated in the form of a licence.

The last residential licence was created in 1987 and the site was designated for closure in 1998.

The site has been developed as a caravan park from the early 1970s but historical maps indicate it was disused from 2001 to now.