Traveller transit camp planned for former recycling site

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

Councillors will be asked to support plans to create a short-term stay site for travellers at a former household recycling centre next week.

Flintshire County Council’s Community and Housing Overview & Scrutiny Committee will consider a report which says the provision of a transit site – where Travellers are permitted to stay for up to three months at a time – will reduce the cost of moving on unauthorised Traveller camps by removing the need to secure court orders.

Officers have identified the former household recycling centre at Castle Park in Flint next to the industrial estate as the primary choice for the six-pitch site.

Travellers who use the site will not be able to stay permanently and the council will be able to give them four weeks notice to leave if it has reason to.

Plan

Providing adequate provision for Gypsy and Traveller sites is a key part of Flintshire’s Local Development Plan.

Flintshire County Council commissioned independent consultants to undertake a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) which has been approved by the Welsh Government.

The survey identified the need to create 27 permanent traveller pitches in the county – Flintshire has actually created 33 – as well as some smaller, short-term stay pitches.

By ensuring the council offers enough approved sites, it is able to more quickly deal with incidents where camps are set up illegally on car parks and other land.

Cost

Since 2020 Flintshire has spent over £16,000 on the direct costs of moving 45 encampments on – not including the cost of legal processes and bailiffs.

If these plans are approved,  the authority and North Wales Police will be able to direct illegal encampments to the site and, if there is no capacity, move them on swiftly without the need for a court order.

If councillors approve the proposal on Wednesday and planning permission can be secured before the end of the financial year, Flintshire County Council will be eligible to apply for Welsh Government funding to help with the cost of establishing the site later this year.