Gipsy plans threaten Celtic Manor development - claim (From South Wales Argus)

Gipsy plans threaten Celtic Manor development - claim

8:10am Wednesday 31st October 2012 in News Exclusive By Natalie Crockett

A GIPSY and traveller site planned for Newport could jeopardise the future development of the city’s five star Celtic Manor Resort, it has been claimed.

Agents acting on behalf of the premier resort say plans to build ten visitor lodges have been put on hold over worries about the potential siting of a transit site off the A449.

In objections made to the council, they say the proposed site, currently used as a council depot, will be visually prominent within the sensitive landscape.

They say it would be 500 metres from the planned self-catering lodges south of the 16th and 17th holes on the 2010 golf course, as well as land where it plans to build an equine centre.

But the council’s head of planning, Mark Hand, told a scrutiny meeting discussing the proposed sites on Monday the proposed use would not be significantly different to the existing situation.

He also said the land was 1.2km away from the proposed lodge site, not 500 metres.

The authority received 400 responses about the A449 site, including ones from the Gipsy and traveller community, who said it had good road links and, because of its location, people would not stay beyond their allotted time.

The scrutiny committee agreed to recommend the site, along with four others for inclusion in the council's Local Development Plan. This will be considered by cabinet, before full council will decide whether to replace five existing sites in the plan with the newly chosen areas next year.

They include a preferred site for a permanent camp at the former road safety centre in Ringland and smaller residential sites on the former Ringland allotments and Brickyard Lane in Allt-Yr-Yn if the need arose in future.

Land at Celtic Way, Marshfield, was chosen as an alternative transit site if the A449 site could not be developed.

The areas were chosen from a shortlist of 11 taking into account of 7,100 responses from the public.

MORE than 40 objectors attended Monday’s meeting to listen to what was a heated debate.

Committee chair, Cllr David Atwell put forward an amendment and asked that Brickyard Lane be removed from the list.

He also asked for the A449 site be removed and replaced with the former Speedway site in Lliswerry.

Cllr Allan Morris said the committee had worked hard to identify the best sites.

He said: "We haven't done this because we wanted to, we have gone through this process because we have to by law. 7,000 people have bothered to take part in this consultation, we have listened and come up with what we think is the best solution to a problem not of our own making."

Cllr Atwell's amendment was not supported and members agreed the original recommendations.