Plans for temporary traveller site approved

Land between Battlefield Link Road and Ellesmere Road in Shrewsbury has been earmarked as a temporary site

Plans for a temporary traveller site on the outskirts of Shrewsbury have been given the go-ahead.

The scheme will provide short-term accommodation for a total of eight gypsy and traveller families, according to Shropshire Council.

The council hopes it will reduce the number of unauthorised encampments in Shrewsbury and said there were 34 incidents logged in 2023.

This included camps at high-profile places such as one of the town’s park and ride car parks.

The authority currently has four permanent traveller sites but the Ellesmere Road site would be the county’s first to offer transitory accommodation.

The proposals include provision of a facilities block, CCTV and fencing.

Unauthorised encampments were expensive and time-consuming to deal with, the council said, noting significant legal costs and clear-up costs.

“The delivery of the proposed transit provision could, within a reasonably short timescale, deal with the issues associated with such encampments and help ease the impact on local communities and businesses whilst longer-term site provision is considered,” the council said in a report submitted with the application.

There were two objections to the scheme from members of the public, who expressed concerns about possible anti-social behaviour at the site, but the council said any such issues would be dealt with as part of ongoing site management.

The site was first proposed in 2020 and a public consultation on the scheme concluded later that year. The council submitted the plans in 2022.

The planning permission granted this week means the land can be used as a temporary traveller site for a period of five years.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.