Traveller target drops for St Albans (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Traveller target drops for St Albans

5:16pm Monday 20th July 2009

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ST ALBANS has won some relief from tough Government targets for new official traveller pitches in the district.

After protests that the figure of 38 new pitches was unfair on St Albans as the 52 it already provides is more than any other Hertfordshire district, the latest version of planning guidance - known as the Regional Spatial Strategy - published today, has dropped the target to 28.

Barbara Follett, minister for the East of England and MP for Stevenage, said: “This is a positive step towards addressing the serious disadvantages experienced by members of the travelling communities who have a life expectancy ten to 12 years below the regional average, and huge challenges accessing education and health services.

“It is vital that we address the housing needs of everyone in our communities, including gipsies and travellers. By ensuring sufficient provision of well-managed, authorised sites, we can help stop the cycle of evictions from unauthorised sites. It is costly to the taxpayer,impacts on the quality of life for the travelling community, and can be so disruptive to all of our communities.”

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