Birmingham temporary travellers sites plan delayed - again

The authority wants to introduce a “negotiated stopping” programme in a bid to reduce unauthorised encampments which cause disruption and clean-up costs.

It has set out plans to identify unused piece of land to be used by the travelling community for “short-term stays”.

The proposals came amid issues with the city’s two permanent transit sites, which should be available for travellers to be directed to.

One has suffered repeated damage and vandalism while the other has been home to “long-term occupants”.

The “negotiated stopping” pilot was set to start in June following a consultation.

But the city council later confirmed that the start date had been delayed until October, with consultation with communities near the proposed stopping sites due to take place in August and September.

Now the Labour-run authority has revealed that possible sites were still being identified – and the pilot was unlikely to start next month.

“The process for identifying and reviewing the suitability of sites for the ‘negotiated stopping’ pilot programme for travellers remains ongoing,” a council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“As a result, we do not expect the pilot to begin in October.

“A consultation with communities and businesses near the identified proposed stopping sites will need to take place and those affected will be notified as soon as possible.”

The council did not provide an update on whe the list of possible sites would finally be revealed.

‘It’s incredibly disappointing’

The latest delay follows frustration from Birmingham councillors over the ‘glacial progress’ of the plans.

At a public protection committee meeting in July, councillors voiced their frustration that “little progress” had been made and argued that residents were being “let down”.

“There’s a certain inevitability about this,” Councillor Sam Forsyth, a member of the Harborne and Quinton Independents, said at the time. “Every time we get a report, we are told work is being done and the transit sites are being looked at.

“It’s rather like night follows day and progress is glacial.

“That has been a festering sore in this city for years and years – it is time now that we dealt with this problem.”

She said unauthorised encampments were “regularly taking over” public parks in the south of the city and described the situation as “unacceptable”.

“We have a disadvantaged community on one hand not being served because the sites aren’t there and we have residents who are constantly being let down,” she said.

Green Party councillor Julien Pritchard said describing the pace of progress as “glacial” was “actually quite generous”.

“Icebergs have been melting quicker than the council has been solving this issue,” he said. “It’s the same report every time with very little actual change or progress.

“It’s incredibly disappointing and frustrating to have the same conservation.”

Amid this anger, a council officer blamed the delay on ‘site identification and resourcing’ issues at the meeting.

On the possible sites, a previous council report said: “An initial shortlist has been drawn up by officers.

“It is being considered jointly by planning, housing and property colleagues before wider consultation can take place on a finalised shortlist.”

The council has in the past pledged to take “everyone’s views into consideration” over the pilot scheme, which is set to last for at least 12 months, and said it was also focusing on “community cohesion”.

It also said the ‘negotiated stopping’ approach was “favoured by Gypsy Traveller communities as it provides a balanced and sensitive approach” and “offers more flexibility”.