Proposed Rothwell traveller site would be a waste of £1.3m, councillors told

Councillors were told converting a Rothwell green space into a traveller site would be a ‘waste of £1.3m’ as the proposal moved along.

North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) wants to a turn piece of land, off Junction 3 of the A14, into an area where travellers passing through the county can temporarily stop for up to 28 days.

They’re planning to stump up £1.3m – although the 10-year sum with interest and running costs will be more than £2m – after the project failed to be awarded Government funding.

Those against the plan say they are horrified and have already unsuccessfully tried to have the decision reversed at a scrutiny meeting, saying it is not best value for taxpayers. They had another chance to air their views at NNC’s executive meeting on Thursday (February 8), when ruling councillors were discussing their capital programme to recommend to full council.

Michael Blissett, who lives in Harrington, said: “The money that is being borrowed at 5.6 per cent by the council taxpayers to construct a temporary stopping site for travellers is not good value for money.

"You are wasting £1.3m to build a site on a site that is ridiculously expensive to convert because of its position and make-up and the devastation of a fantastic wildlife area that should be protected from development.”

He suggested an alternative ‘cheaper’ site off the A43 between Northampton and Kettering, which has been ruled out by NNC.

Cllr Jim Hakewill (Ind, Rothwell and Mawsley) told councillors it was not too late to remove the costs of the project from their budget and said it was not in the public interest, adding that nobody he speaks to thinks it’s a good idea.

He said: “It seems quite horrifying that the executive should deliberately go headlong into a battle with hundreds, if not thousands of residents, by spending on a planning application that has multiple material reasons for being refused.”

He added: “Delete this capital proposal and start talking to and listening to residents rather than dicta…,” before being cut off because he had exceeded his allocated three minutes to speak.

Council leader Cllr Jason Smithers (Con, Oundle) interjected and said: “Cllr Hakewill, that’s your time over.”

Cllr Hakewill responded with a seemingly sarcastic thumbs-up.

Cllr Joseph Smyth (Con, Rothwell and Mawsley), said the site would hardly be used and that the council is already overspending on its budget.

He said: “So why are we continuing to push this forward if it’s not to be used?

"The site will destroy a green space that will probably stand there and be derelict in a very short space of time. This is most definitely not value for money.”

Cllr Smithers told the meeting that nothing had yet been agreed and that everyone would have an opportunity to put their arguments for and against the plan as it progressed.

He said: “This is not a done deal – you can shake your head all you like sir, it really does not bother me – but I am just trying to reassure you that this is not a done deal.

"There’s a lot of processes to go through at the moment.

Currently there are no stopping places for travellers passing through the NNC area and last year there was at least 19 unauthorised encampments. A temporary stopping place would provide an area for groups of travellers passing through the council’s area to stop for a period of up to 28 days. Police have powers to direct traveller groups to go to the temporary stopping place.

The council meeting took place on the same day that that the Government’s Minister for Housing and Planning at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Lee Rowley MP, visited Kettering to hear first-hand direct from local parish councillors and council officials about the difficulties being faced by unauthorised gypsy and traveller developments in rural areas in Kettering and Corby.

Parish councils from Loddington, Cottingham, Middleton, Broughton, Gretton and Great Cransley were represented along with senior NNC officials responsible for planning and licensing as well as Cllr David Howes, the NNC portfolio holder for rural communities and localism, and MPs Philip Hollobone (Kettering) and Tom Pursglove (Corby).

Cllr Howes said: "We really appreciated the Minister coming to Kettering to hear our concerns first-hand. Every parish council which attended was able to have their say and the Minister listened carefully to the views expressed. He took on board our constructive suggestions and promised to consider them closely."

Mr Hollobone said: "NNC is doing its very best to get on top of the challenges with which it has been faced by unauthorised gypsy and traveller developments, but even when NNC wins planning appeals against such developments there is only so much NNC can do within the law to get these sites cleared.

"It's clear that the planning regulations around such developments need drastically tightening up and more powers need to be given to local councils so that they can effectively defend our local countryside against these unwelcome developments."