A traveller transit site could be built next the re3 recycling centre at Smallmead, under new plans from the council to reduce the impact of illegal encampments on Reading’s communities.
Reading Borough Council’s (RBC) has spent more than £300,000 tackling unauthorised encampments in Reading in the past five years, with illegal incursions continuing to cause chaos in the town’s parks year-round.
Over the past 12 months, there has not been one day without an illegal encampment in Reading, with the latest traveller camp setting up at Hills Meadow car park a week ago.
READ MORE: The cost of tackling traveller encampments in the past five years
The council's Policy committee will vote on November 1 whether to submit a planning application for a transit caravan site for gypsies and travellers at the south Reading site.
Adele Barnett Ward, Lead Councillor for Neighbourhoods, said: “The impact of illegal incursions in Reading is significant and has been over a number of years.
“That impact is financial, in terms of the cost of evicting and clearing up after encampments but is also felt by communities themselves where anti-social behaviour is the result.
“Identifying a suitable option in a tight, urban area like Reading is of course no easy task, but the site at Smallmead is one identified as feasible, not least because it is located away from residential properties.
“As a council, we are often asked why we cannot move illegal encampments on quickly. While we work closely with police colleagues, the reality is that the legal process takes time and is rarely in the council’s hands in terms of a timescale for a court hearing and eviction.
“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.”
Figures show there have been a total of 31 unauthorised encampments in Reading over the past 12 months.
READ MORE: Travellers set up camp in Reading car park at Christchurch Meadows
The search for a transit site
Every local council is obliged under national planning policy to consider how gypsy and traveller accommodation needs can be met.
In 2017, RBC identified the need for 10-17 permanent pitches and five transit pitches for gypsies and travellers.
The council identified a possible transit site at Cow Lane in 2017 but in the end this site was needed for a new school, River Academy, which is opening in September 2023.
After several reviews, RBC has now identified land at Smallmead as the only potentially-suitable site for a transit site in Reading.
The site could accommodate seven pitches or up to 14 caravans and cars.
It would help police to move travellers on from public land as they have powers to seize vehicles which refuse to leave but only if a suitable pitch is available within the local authority area.
Location issues
A potential obstacle to the council getting planning permission for a transit site at Smallmead is the location.
It both sits on a flood zone and is located on the edge of the Detailed Emergency Planning Zone for the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Burghfield.
The Environment Agency has indicated to the council it will likely object to the application due to flood concerns, while the risk from the atomic weapons site will have to be tested during the application process.
Additionally, it is next to the Re3 recycling centre and a sewage treatment site, raising odour and public health concerns.
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