Government agrees that permanent traveller site for Brighton should go ahead

Plans for a permanent traveller site which have been approved by the South Downs National Park Authority can go ahead.

Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has decided against “calling in” the plans.

The permanent site is next to the recently reopened traveller transit site at Horsdean.

The plans were drawn up by Brighton and Hove City Council and will be funded by a government grant.

The national park authority carried out a public consultation before approving the plans for the site in February.

The council said that Horsdean was chosen after an extensive selection process which explored 50 possible locations.

The proposal is to create a permanent traveller site by extending the existing transit site on the old Horsdean Recreation Ground, which was cut off when the A27 Brighton bypass was built.

The plans show 12 new permanent pitches alongside 21 retained transit pitches. Each permanent pitch will consist of space for a static caravan and other vehicles, plus a kitchen, bathroom and dayroom in an amenity block.

The plans will also see the Traveller Liaison Team move to a management building on site to ensure closer and better working with the community and to reduce management costs.

Councillor Pete West, the chairman of the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “I am relieved the Secretary of State has stopped thinking about calling this in so we can now get on with building these much needed additional traveller pitches.

“The impact unauthorised encampments on the city’s open spaces has on local communities cannot be underestimated coupled with the expense of eviction.

“The permanent site will help ease this issue and give greater stability for travelling families and strengthen existing links with the local community that already exist with the transit site.

“By adding pitch capacity it will also reduce the likelihood of unauthorised encampments.”

The site will be aimed at travellers with a local link, many of whom already regularly occupy spaces on the transit site.

This should increase the council’s capacity to deal with unauthorised encampments, although the permanent traveller site will not provide a complete solution.

Tenants will have to sign a secure tenancy that will, like all social housing, ensure that any anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.