AN ENFORCEMENT notice dating back 11 years has prevented a traveller family from living on land in Wentlooge.

Newport council has declined to make a decision on plans to use land south of Ty Gwyn Coast Road and east of St Peters Crescent as a travellers’ site for a period of three years.

The plans included two static caravans, a utility room, three touring caravans and the installation of a cess pool on the site.

However, the council’s decision report says an enforcement notice, which dates back to 2010, remains in place, which does not allow such a development and specifically excludes caravans from the site.

The enforcement is still in place because one of the requirements of the notice is still applicable.

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The council’s decision report says the caravans and other items are still occupying the land.

This is the second application for the site in as many years – the council refused to determine the application in both cases.

The council is allowed to do this if there is a pre-existing enforcement notice on the land.

In 2011, an appeal was dismissed against the enforcement notice because the “stationing of caravans is considered an inappropriate form of development in this area”. There were also concerns over the risk of flooding.

The application raised concerns over the council-owned travellers’ site Ellen Ridge, in Hartridge Farm Road. It is the only socially rented travellers site in Newport and currently has a waiting list of applicants.

Despite planning permission for 35 permanent caravan pitches, only three have been developed so far.

However, there has also been an ongoing legal battle with a traveller family, which has ‘illegally’ occupied the land at Ellen Ridge for more than two years. Earlier this month, a court judge told the family to leave the site, which will enable the council to make it available for traveller families who meet the criteria.

An access statement says the authority has “failed in its duty” to provide pitches and says that the lack of pitches at the site means there is not a current “alternative suitable accommodation available to this family on this site”.

The family has been living at Cardiff’s Rover Way site, however the report says there has been police involvement at that site, “whereby the family have faced attacks and comments that the children are at risk”.

The decision report says: “Cardiff City Council has confirmed that there was a violent incident on site in September 2020, involving two families, including the applicant’s family.”

It says: “The supporting information states that the family, including children are at risk however, no further information has been provided to explain the nature and level of risk. 

“Without this evidence, little weight can be given to this concern.”

The report says: “It maybe that the applicants would benefit from moving away from the Rover Way site (this Authority has no control over the condition of that site) however, this authority is able to provide gypsy and traveller accommodation at the Ellen Ridge site and none of the family members have made applications for that site.”