New Walsall travellers site will be ready next month

Construction work at the Pleck Transit Site is now almost finished. It will accommodate six caravans and associated vehicles and offer utilities, toilets and showers.

Councillor Garry Perry, Walsall Council's deputy leader for resilient communities, said: "I’m fully aware that many local residents in Pleck are concerned about the site. This is a temporary site and how well it works, or doesn’t work, will be under regular review and will inform any future planning.

"This pilot temporary site is all about trying to find a balance between the needs of permanent residents and the travelling community, for the greater good of all. In this country, both have a legal right to their choice of lifestyle and free movement."

He added: "Unauthorised encampments have long been a source of frustration for residents in terms of anti-social behaviour and waste left behind, which is often, but not always, the case.

"We have to work within the law and this can result in a cat-and-mouse game on occasions, which is of course frustrating to residents."

Councillor Perry said: "Walsall is slap-bang in the heart of England and with the M6 running through the borough, realistically, the travelling community is always going to stop-over in Walsall, so this is about trialling a new way of doing things.

"This is another significant step forward in finding the balance between offering a suitable place of transit and removing the pressure that unauthorised encampments can sometimes bring."

Councillor Perry is proud that Walsall is welcoming travellers to the borough.

He said: "Our borough has a proud tradition of being a place of welcome and the diversity of Walsall cultures and ethnicity bears witness to that."

The site will be managed on a day-to-day basis by an independent company which will liaise regularly with the council.

Those wishing to occupy the site will have to pay a deposit and rent, and sign a licence agreement which includes terms about good behaviour.