Dear Sir/Madam,

We the undersigned wish to register our objection to the Gypsy and Traveller site proposed at the Former Ringland Allotments.

Our reasons are summarised as follows:

Council guidelines - Part of the original 220 site survey quoted that this site was unsuitable due to there being “Pylons on site and unsuitable access”, this hasn’t changed and remains a major issue. This is one of the main reasons the travellers themselves do not want to occupy this site.

Health issues related to pylons - There are numerous well documented papers relating to the health consequences of living near to electricity pylons. A study of childhood cancers recorded between 1963 and 1995 in England and Wales revealed that there is an increase in risk of children contracting leukaemia of 69% if they live within 200m of a power line and 23% if they live within 600m of a power line.

Location - The Council have favoured sites to the east of Newport as the preferred location. Travellers have expressed no such preference as to the location and are more concerned as to establishing a selection on suitability not location.

Land presentation - This site is not on level ground. The site is on a gradient unsuitable for siting caravans.

Access - Access to this would be shared with the proposed 1100 houses of Gallagher development which would increase traffic many fold on what is effectively a country lane. The turning in and out of the site by vehicles would be problematic given the location of the land and the fact that the road turns directly off from the 50mph limit SDR.

The Council has previously identified this land in part for the provision of a roundabout which would then create an access to the proposed site directly off or close to that roundabout. Such a situation at other possible sites has been condemned by both the Police and Highway Authorities.

Existing use - The allotment site is still a Statutory Allotment site and is not surplus to the requirement of the residents.

Aspect - The site is highly visible from the A48 so would potentially create a very poor image of Newport as this is one of the major routes into the city. The site would afford no privacy for families living there.

Safety - The A48 is a very busy major route into Newport and has a 50mph speed limit and the regular movement of heavy goods vehicles. Caravans and trailers would severely worsen the road safety situation.

Environmental - Council guidelines dictate that when selecting sites priority should be given to Brown Field. This area is an undeveloped green field site which is outside current development boundaries and currently provides a green wedge

Amenities - Access to local amenities is via an underpass to Dawson Close in Ringland. This underpass has previously had to be locked on a regular basis due to safety and antisocial behaviour issues. Such issues are likely to be considerable exacerbated by the proposed development. The access to the underpass is also often affected by flooding during periods of heavy rain.

Flooding - The A48 is often affected by flooding due to run off of surface water from the site and this would be exacerbated by the proposed development. Pooling water on a main access route with a 50mph speed limit creates a considerable safety hazard.

Financial Implications - The development of adjacent land for housing by Gallagher Estates would be very unlikely to go ahead if a Gypsy and Traveller site were provided on this land. This would be a loss to the City of amongst other things the payment of the 106 agreement.

Privacy - Due to the closeness of the SDR and the openness of the site there would be privacy issues.

Noise - Due to the closeness of the SDR there would be a noise issue.

Potential danger caused by animals - it is well know that many traveller families keep a stock of ponies and horses. There are also many well documented examples of these animals escaping their confines. An animal of this nature running out onto the SDR or found wandering through the neighbouring Ringland Estate will undoubtedly cause issues and even cost lives in the case of the SDR.

PTO
The Process - The Scrutiny Report dated 29th October, 2012 and, consequently, accepted by Cabinet on 12th November 2012 is inconsistent, biased, is incomplete in its assessments made and offers no analytical evidence of the preferences made for the selection of travellers sites as claimed. The Policy Review Group recommendations display a lack of understanding of the Travellers needs which was further reinforced by a member of that Review Group, during the Full Council meeting dated 4 June 2013, displaying a serious lack of understanding of what constitutes a travellers site thus casting further, serious, doubt on the integrity of the aforementioned report they produced.

In conclusion this site is unsuitable for the provision of a traveller site. Further the integrity of the Policy Review Group’s Report, recommendations and conclusions are questionable for the reasons given. Moreover, there are no sound, sustainable, reasons for removing the sites previously proposed.

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