Travellers may move to rural neighbour over city flood risk

The Government is consulting over proposed changes to planning policy on traveller sites, and Hull’s recommended response, which will be considered by councillors next week, suggests land in Hull will not be suitable and as a result advocates “cross-authority working”.

A report that will go before the city council’s planning committee next week said: “The consultation raises a number of issues which would be particularly significant for Hull. The opportunity should be taken to highlight these issues with CLG (Department for Communities and Local Government).

“The statement reiterates that caravans are highly vulnerable to flooding and sites should therefore not be located in functional flood plains or areas at a high risk of flooding. This means that a significant majority of the land area of Hull will not be suitable for sites and this will compromise the ability of the city to provide sites.

“The statement also highlights that cross-authority working may be appropriate to provide more flexibility, particularly where authorities face constraints to site provision. This is clearly the case in Hull.”

The report, by city planning manager Alex Codd, also said the national policy should require neighbouring councils to work together to resolve the problem.

It said: “Where one authority is significantly constrained by physical constraints, for example, the high risk of flooding, there should be a requirement they will work with adjacent authorities to tackle these constraints and possibly seek to meet traveller needs on a sub-regional rather than local basis.”

East Riding Council is currently drafting its own response to the Government’s proposals and replies must be submitted by July 6.

By early next year, both councils will cater for a similar number of travellers on permanent sites. Hull has 70 pitches across four sites – two in Bedford Street, one in Bankside and another in Newington Street.

The East Riding has 40 pitches across three sites but has already begun work to extend its provision to 64 pitches.

It has 22 pitches on a site in Woodhill Way, Cottingham, and is working on significant upgrades to its two other sites.

Work started this week on a new £1.4m camp at Woldgate on the outskirts of Bridlington, which will be completed next year and replace an existing facility on the opposite side of Woldgate.

There are 18 pitches on the old site, although only 10 are in use, and the new camp will have 22 pitches and 11 amenity blocks with bathrooms and kitchens.

A neighbouring landowner and Carnaby Parish Council had objected to the scheme, but the East Riding argued that the old site – which was built on a rubbish tip and had methane leaking from it – posed a “significant health and safety threat to its occupants”.

It was granted planning permission for the new development in February, which is being paid for by the Homes and Communities Agency.

The agency is providing a further £1.2m for the council to double the size of its other camp in Eppleworth Road, Cottingham, to accommodate 20 pitches.

The development will include a series of measures to improve the quality of life for its residents.

The council described the 30-year-old camp as “no longer fit for purpose”, while a local councillor said conditions at the site where “ghastly”.

There is one toilet shared by 10 families and no hot water.

The authority said extending the site would help to reduce unauthorised camps made by gipsies and travellers elsewhere in the borough.

It has regularly had problems with illegal camps being set up on Hessle foreshore in the summer.

Work at the Eppleworth Road camp site is due to start in a fortnight.