New £1.96m Carlisle Gypsy and Traveller site

Local residents invited to see future plans

(Date of issue: Friday, 24 July 2009)

Local Rockcliffe and Kingmoor residents have been invited to an open day at the location of a new Carlisle City Council Gypsy and Traveller site next Wednesday (29 July)

The event will be held between 1pm and 5m at the Ghyll Bank, Harker site and will provide the chance to speak to representatives from the City Council and other agencies.

A £1.96million Carlisle City Council funding bid to provide a new local authority managed Gypsy and Traveller site was given the go ahead by the Government late last year. The open day is an opportunity for local residents to see what is planned for the site.

The City Council was the only council in Cumbria to submit a bid for a Communities and Local Government’s Gypsy and Traveller Site Grant. In the North West, there is £4million available, over the next two years, for local authorities to bid for.

Cllr Olwyn Luckley, Portfolio Holder for Health and Community Development, said:

“There is an identified unmet need for a new site within Carlisle that we must address and the Government bidding process provided an opportunity to attract funding into the area to provide a quality site built to Government design standards that will be managed well.

“We believe that all our communities, including the Gypsy and Traveller community, should have access to good quality housing and accommodation, health care and education. Our proposals for a new site aim to meet these needs. We hope that local residents take up the opportunity to visit the site and give us their views.”

The site is to be located at Ghyll Bank, in the north east of the city. The grant will be used to include an area for 15 pitches designed to current guidelines and each pitch will have an amenity block, adequate space for parking and space for caravan accommodation.

Within the new site layout, there will also be a children’s play area, street lighting and a communal room for residents. As well as these new facilities, a manager and site office will be located on the site.

Work is due to start on the site in autumn and aims to open in early 2010.