Temporary traveller site extended in flood risk area

Park View Caravan Park will continue to operate as a traveller site until June 2026

Temporary permission for a traveller site in a town in Nottinghamshire has been extended despite fears of flood risks in the area.

Park View Caravan Park, in Tolney Lane in Newark, has been approved to continue to operate as a traveller site until June 2026 by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Plans to make the 1.5-acre site - equivalent to the size of a football pitch - which is being used by up to 15 caravans, permanent was submitted in January.

The Environment Agency and Newark Town Council objected to the proposal as the site is on a flood plain, but residents had said they felt safe.

'Non-mitigated disaster'

The council's planning committee discussed the application on Thursday and recommended extending the site's temporary status instead of granting it permanent approval, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Councillor Linda Dales backed the move, highlighting the shortage of traveller sites in the area at the meeting.

"I hope that in a year's time that we have a Tolney Lane flood alleviation scheme under way," she said.

"We don't have sufficient pitches [for travellers] available."

However, councillor Keith Melton questioned the decision, saying: "It leaves me with an impression that allowing the application for just a year is a way of trying not to get the blame if something goes wrong.

"It makes me feel uncomfortable. I would rather see it as a permanent solution with support from the Environment Agency."

Councillor Adrian Amer urged more government funding to help flood risks in Newark, saying it was a "disaster waiting to happen", adding addressing flood risks along Tolney Lane was just "one part of the jigsaw puzzle".

"Why are we allowing to let a community feel settled and happy living [in this area], where if we have major floods? It will be a complete non-mitigated disaster," he added.