Flood concerns remain over traveller site plan

Concerns have been raised over the safety of travellers living on a flood plain in Nottinghamshire following a request to make the site permanent.

Newark and Sherwood District Council previously granted temporary planning permission for the travllers' site off Sandhills Sconce and Tolney Lane in Newark, with a view to finding an alternative place for the families, according to documents.

Five years on, a new site with a lesser flood risk has still not been found and a fresh proposal has been submitted to make the land a permanent traveller site.

Residents said they felt safe at the site but Newark Town Council and the Environment Agency have objected to the plan.

The district council - which is the planning authority in this case - said it was unable to comment on an application that had not been dealt with by a planning committee.

Currently, residents of the site - and neighbouring plots off Tolney Lane which are also home to travellers - rely on flood warnings and evacuate the site when necessary to a nearby lorry park.

Vicky Botton, who has lived on one of the neighbouring site for 35 years, said she believed it was suitable as a permanent site for families, particularly compared to places they had stayed before.

"I do think this is suitable. We've had to stay in the most filthy places in the past- there's nothing wrong with this place," the 72-year-old said.

"It's up to the individuals to go up to the lorry park when we get flood warnings."

She added that she and members of her community had been "bullied and even forcibly removed" from other places but said here they were "safe".

Previous requests to remove the temporary condition of the planning permission have been refused by the council.

The Environment Agency had objected to these earlier requests and in response to the new application, said its position had not changed.

In its comments, the agency said it continued to "work closely with the local planning authority on a potential flood alleviation scheme".

But until such a scheme was in place, the agency said it remained "concerned about the risk posed to residents during extreme flood events" and would continue to object to the plans.

Newark Town Council said the site was on a flood plain adding it was not a "proposed allocated site" in the district council's development plans.

A spokesperson for the district council said the application was due to be discussed in the near year.

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