Debate over more sites for Travellers

PLANS for new temporary Traveller stopping sites are being discussed by a council.

Trafford town hall’s executive will be talking through a special report, examining the best options for the area, on Monday.

The authority’s Gypsy and Travellers Task and Finish Group was set up in November 2021, following a number of temporary encampments popping up across the borough last summer.

Following their investigations, the group has recommended that the council should do three things:

Investigate in more detail temporary toilet provision at encampments

Investigate suitable [people to talk to who represent] Gypsy, Roma and Traveller issues within the Local Plan

Explore providing a temporary stopping place within the borough and provide a further report on the matter by December 2022

Currently, the council provides bins for temporary encampments on council land through contractors Amey.

In 2018, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said there was a need for 44 residential pitches and 59 transit pitches at that time across the region.

Trafford council is investigating the need for suitable sites for designated temporary encampments across the borough as part of its Local Plan process.

If a need for temporary encampment sites is found as part of this process, it will be down to local planners to identify and allocate suitable sites accordingly.

The report to executive said: “Some encampments utilise the bins but recent experience demonstrates that some sites still require clean ups as the bins have not been used by all of the travellers.

“The provision of toilets is a more complex issue – it is more difficult in terms of storage, collection and clean up.

“Toilet facilities would need a specialist contractor to handle and deal with the waste – with consequential costs arising. It is recommended that the siting of temporary toilets is investigated in more detail.

“A negotiated stopping policy usually allows Gypsies and Travellers

passing through an area to resort temporarily to an unofficial site, usually in council ownership.

“This could be disused land or an underused section of highway where basic temporary facilities are provided. A limit of 28 days is frequently set for any stays in these facilities.

“The benefit of such a policy is that it provides somewhere for visiting Gypsies and Travellers to stay, without inconveniencing users of other land (for example playfields or parks).

“The difficulty often arises in seeking to identify any suitable site for this use.

“It is suggested that the matter be explored further and a report be submitted to the executive and scrutiny committee by December 2022.”