Council bids to upgrade Gypsy and Traveller site

The Gypsy and Traveller site at Gapton Hall in Great Yarmouth has inadequate fresh water and electricity supplies affecting residents' quality of life

Facilities at a Gypsy and Traveller site could be improved after a council cabinet approved a bid to be submitted to the government.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council in Norfolk heard water pipes at the 18-pitch Gapton Hall site often froze in winter because they were not buried at a sufficient depth.

The electricity supply was also deemed to be underrated and the suitability of toilets and shower facilities on the site was also questioned.

One resident, Kerry, 42, said: "It is very hard in the winter with the pipe works and water freezing which means you can't do your washing, you can't shower, you can't boil the kettle. It is very, very difficult here."

The council says the shower and toilet blocks are inadequate

Kerry, an English Romany, has two children, one at nursery age and the other attending school, has lived on the site for eight years.

She said the utilities were not fit for purpose.

"Cooking-wise, it's not too bad, but with the electrics, you can either have the microwave or the oven on," she said.

"You can't do your washing at the same time; you can't boil the kettle at the same time the oven is on or it will trip out. It has to be one or the other."

She said she kept a water butt and used it to flush the toilet if the pipes were frozen.

The authority, which has used Homes England grants to improve council housing stock, said it hoped to access a ring-fenced pot of money specifically aimed at provision and improvement of traveller sites, which councils are legally required to provide.

Melanie Holland, the authority's head of strategic housing, said: "It's really important; we've got families on that site and it's important we meet modern standards, but utilise government funding to pay for this.

"Its all about meeting need, and being able to prove a viable bid to improve the circumstances of people living on that site.

"It doesn't currently meet modern standards; the families don't currently have their own utility blocks and there's issues with the utilities."

Emma Flaxman-Taylor says the site is not up to modern standards and affects the quality of life for residents, especially families with children

Emma Flaxman-Taylor, Conservative cabinet member for housing, said as well as the pipes issue, the whole site needed a "complete look-over and regeneration".

"Most of the tenants have been there for a very long time and they're happy with the area, so we need to improve it so they can continue to do so," she said.