Gipsy site to close because nobody wants to live there

Sheffield Council plans to formally close the derelict

Huntsman's Gardens site in Tinsley, which was built in 1996 but currently has nobody living there.

Originally the site was largely occupied by members and partners of one extended family, but in recent years it has rarely had more than six occupied plots.

In April 2007, following two years when just three or four plots were occupied, the last residents moved away from the site and it was temporarily closed.

Since then, Huntsman's Gardens has been running at a "significant" loss due to under-occupancy and the cost of repairs and fly-tipping clearance.

A spokesman for Sheffield Council said: "The main reason for the vacancies on the site was that the broader travelling community would not use the site.

"The Government requires that gipsy and travellers' sites should be located where general housing would be acceptable, with good access to services and transport.

"The Huntsman's Gardens site does not comply with either of these requirements.

"There is a preference for sites to be in smaller blocks of eight to 10 pitches in suitable locations that will encourage better links with the community."

Councillor Bob McCann, Sheffield Council's cabinet member for housing and sustainable, safer communities, said that Huntsman's Gardens has suffered from long-term anti-social behaviour and high levels of criminal damage, which gained it a bad reputation amongst the gipsy and traveller community.

He added: "It makes sense to dispose of this site and improve other sites to increase their occupancy."

There are two other local authority gipsy and traveller sites in Sheffield, Long Acre View at Halfway and Redmires Lane in Lodge Moor.

Altogether, Sheffield's gipsy and traveller population is around 340 people, who live on either the two sites or in permanent housing throughout the city.

Management of both Long Acre View and Redmires Lane was transferred from the council to Sheffield Homes in September last year.