Mayor Tom Wootton has approved a feasibility study and planning work to determine whether council-owned land in Bedford could be developed into a new 30-pitch Gypsy and Traveller site.
The executive decision, signed on Tuesday, 26 May, notes an identified need for an additional 30 Gypsy and Traveller pitches by 2030 and a further 13 pitches by 2040.
It also authorises officers to progress work associated with the feasibility study and any subsequent planning application if the site is found to be suitable for development.
According to the report accompanying the decision, Bedford Borough Council has a statutory responsibility to provide suitable accommodation for Gypsies and Travellers when a local need has been identified.
The council currently manages two Gypsy and Traveller sites, Willow Drift, which has 14 pitches, and Kempston Hardwick, which has 24 pitches.
The report states that extending the existing sites is not considered viable because of the number of additional pitches required and the space available at the two locations.
It also states that there is a waiting list of approximately 30 households currently without a legal stopping place or culturally suitable housing option.
Around £300,000 has been approved within the council’s capital programme to fund the feasibility work.
The report states that a review of council-owned land identified no other viable sites that were both suitable and large enough to accommodate the required number of pitches.
It says the Meadow Lane land was identified as the most suitable option.
The decision does not grant planning permission for a new site, and it can be implemented from 5 June if it is not called in.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
