Calls for more official traveller sites across city

APPROVED plans for a new Birmingham traveller site have prompted calls for more across the city – and a warning not to repeat previous mistakes.

The city council planning committee has now approved a proposal to turn a former car park at Aston Brook Street East in Nechells into four new pitches.

Because the authority previously did not have any other available plots, they had limited powers to evict unauthorised encampments. Parks across the city have consequently been left vulnerable with the exception of five sites protected by injunctions.

But now the provision of a new legal place to reside will give the council more leverage to remove travellers elsewhere. Another site has also been earmarked for up to 15 pitches at nearby Hubert Street also in Nechells.

Some members of the committee called for further facilities across the city. Cllr Lucy Seymour-Smith said: “Many of us in different wards have seen the impact of not having enough traveller accommodation. While we need to look at more sites this is a good place to start.”

Cllr Keith Linnecor added: “We need to find more sites which should be paid for. We need to look at south Birmingham. The emphasis seems to be in the north but there are issues in the south which really need to be addressed.”

The council has one site at Tameside Drive in Castle Vale but that is thought to have been occupied by a single family for around 20 years.

The authority lost a lengthy legal battle costing £200,000 with the tenants after it was established the plot was a permanent and not a transit site.

Cllr Gareth Moore warned that the council could not afford for the same thing to happen again with any new sites. He said: “One family has taken it over, preventing others from using it.

“We need to make sure we don’t just create more sites to be taken over, we need robust enforcement so we do not repeat the mistakes of Tameside Drive.”