TRAVELLERS could soon have a dedicated site to pitch up in the heart of Reading, if the borough council's proposals are pushed through, it has been revealed.

Reading Borough Council is set to launch a consultation on transforming a disused patch of land into a transit traveller hotspot after the authority forked out a whopping £95,000 on clearing 87 illegal encampments last year.

If the plans are accepted, it would see travellers able to pitch up freely on land at the junction of Cow Lane and Richfield Avenue.

Residents have filed numerous complaints about travellers in recent months and the town's authority hopes its new idea will deter travellers from pitching up on other council-owned site.

The new site would mean police officers would be able to use their powers to move travellers off of other patches of land in the borough faster.

Cllr Tony Page said: "Every local authority is obliged under national planning policy to consider how gypsy and traveller accommodation needs can be met. There are currently no permanent or transit pitches in Reading and the recent assessment confirms what we have known for some time – that there is a need for suitable sites locally.

“Unlike many local authority areas, Reading is very tightly constrained with obvious difficulties in finding suitable sites. Officers have carried out a detailed assessment of 80 potential sites and, as a result, one transit site has been identified as potentially suitable.

“If agreed, this provision would only part meet the identified need in the borough of course. As well as consulting on this possible site, the next step is therefore for the Council to engage with other local authorities to see if the identified need for permanent pitches can be met elsewhere.”

If the consultation is successful and residents agree to the plans, work can begin on obtaining planning permission for the site.

The council's policy committee is set to agree on launching the consultation at a meeting next week.

It will last for four weeks and residents can respond by emailing planningpolicy@reading.gov.uk

Liz Terry, lead member for neighbourhoods, added: "There were 87 unauthorised encampments in Reading last year, the majority of which were on Council land. The cost of the legal process for eviction, enforcement and clean-up costs was just under £100,000. This was paid for by the Council and the Reading council tax payer.

“Where there is an illegal encampment, the Council and Thames Valley Police work closely to use the most appropriate powers. The reality is that the legal process can take time and is not always in the Council’s hands. By providing a dedicated transit site in Reading, we could reduce the number of unauthorised encampments and the associated costs which follow.

“Importantly, the availability of a dedicated transit site in the local authority area means police could potentially make full use of powers which require travellers to leave land quickly if there is a suitable pitch located elsewhere in Reading.”