Barrow needs three more gypsy and traveller pitches, report finds

A 'direction-to-move' notice was recently served after travellers set up an unauthorised encampment

Three extra pitches for gypsies and travellers will be needed in Barrow over the next four years, a report has found.

The Cumbria Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment said the sites should be established by 2026.

The report was commissioned by local councils and the Lake District National Park Authority in 2013 to understand the needs of the travelling community.

Authorities were told that encampments in the area was historically low.

The report added that a further pitch should be established between 2026 and 2030, and another between 2030 and 2035.

Three of the five pitches, which would be used by households, should be suitable for teenagers, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Helen Houston, the council's head of regeneration and planning policy, said the assessment was done to provide evidence pitches and plots were needed to meet "current and future accommodation needs" of the community, which includes travelling showpeople.

She said the study did not assess unauthorised encampments, which were usually temporary.

She added: "Whilst it is recognised that transit issues and unauthorised encampments occur in Barrow and throughout Cumbria, including those associated with the annual Appleby Horse Fair, historically, the number of encampments is low and a multi-agency protocol is in place in Cumbria to address transit issues."

The report is set to be discussed at a meeting of Barrow Borough Council's executive committee on 25 May.

It recently announced it would serve a "direction-to-move" notice after travellers set up an unauthorised encampment off Long Croft Road, Ormsgill, Barrow.