Plans for new traveller site in Reading approved

Plans to locate a dedicated traveller transit site near Smallmead in Reading have been approved by councillors.

The area will be close to the Re3 Recycling Centre and the Sewage Treatment Works having been chosen following a comprehensive review of 80 possible sites in the borough.

National guidance means every local authority should seek to provide sites where the Gypsy and Traveller community can live.

The council says it hopes to reduce the impact and cost to the local taxpayer of illegal encampments in Reading by building a dedicated transit caravan site.

The site will be able to accommodate up to 14 caravans for a maximum of three months at a time.

Plans for the site include a play area, connection for electricity, a serviced sanitary block per pitch, and secure fencing and gating.

Reading Borough Council says it will hire a dedicated officer to manage the site on a day to day basis.