Shropshire Star

Temporary traveller site planned for outskirts of Shrewsbury

Shropshire Council has lodged plans to create a temporary Traveller site on the edge of Shrewsbury to reduce “unauthorised encampments” in the town.

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Ellesmere Road, Shrewsbury, the site of a proposed temporary Gypsy Traveller site. Photo: Google

The authority says the site, earmarked for land on the edge of the Battlefield Industrial Estate, will provide short term accommodation for families passing through Shropshire.

The scheme was first proposed in 2020, and following a public consultation the council’s cabinet voted to go ahead with a temporary planning application on the site in 2022.

An application for the site was lodged this week, which will see grazing land off the Ellesmere Road roundabout converted for a period of up to five years if approved, with hardstanding installed along with a facilities block containing showers and toilets.

“The Council has four sites offering pitches for Gypsies and Travellers to reside on a permanent basis but there is currently no public (Local Authority) transit provision. Shropshire Council has identified an operational requirement to provide a transit site,” they said.