PLUS: Traveller site was used as car park

Transit site now set to open

A transit site for gypsies and travellers in Westhampnett is now ‘fully operational’ after being closed then used as a car park for council staff.

The site opened in 2015 at a cost of £1.25million so people could be moved on from unauthorised encampments across West Sussex.

The transit site was closed earlier this year so it could be connected to mains drainage and then stayed shut as lockdown began in March.

Caroline Moth, a Westhampnett parish councillor, said they had received ‘various excuses’ and had not been getting ‘straight answers’ from West Sussex County Council about why the site was not in use.

Last week she said: “We want answers to why it has been closed for so long and what possible reason there can be for it be used as a car park for council staff.”

After being contacted by the Observer, the county council announced the site would be fully operational from Monday (July 6).

A spokesman confirmed that for the initial couple of months of lockdown there were no travellers and the site remain closed.

In recent months it has been used by Chichester District Council staff to park their vehicles as its car park is out of action due to work at the depot.

Since the depot staff are essential workers they required parking. If the request had been refused CDC would have had to source and pay for alternative parking at extra cost to the taxpayer.

As lockdown restrictions were eased and the county saw a rise in illegal encampments, the decision was made by senior management that the site would be open for police directions only.

This meant people could not come of their own accord as the county council did not want to encourage nonessential travel.

The spokesman added: “So far with the encampments that have occurred the travellers have chosen not to come to the site and have left the area. Chichester District Council have been allowed to continue to use the site for parking of their vehicles and have been aware throughout the process that they would have to vacate to allow travellers on to the site.

“The decision to keep the site closed for all but police directions was kept under constant review by senior management and in accordance with the easing of restrictions the site will be fully operational from Monday July 6.”