Travellers temporary stopping site on Executive agenda

14 December 2023

The possibility of a temporary stopping place for travellers at Junction 3 of the A14 will be discussed at next week’s meeting of North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive.

Executive will be asked to approve the project to be added to the Council’s Capital Programme. 

At this stage nothing has been confirmed or decided about the possibility of a Travellers Temporary Stopping Site at Junction 3 of the A14.

A capital bid was made to the Traveller Site Fund, administered by The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DHLUC), for the provision of a Temporary Stopping Place at Junction 3 of the A14 in June 2022, which was supported by the Council’s Executive, local MPs, Northamptonshire Police and the Gypsy and Traveller forum for Parish Councils.

DHLUC confirmed that the funding bid was unsuccessful in early 2023 (the fund was heavily oversubscribed) and NNC have subsequently been looking at alternative funding options.

There is a strategic need to make provision for temporary stopping places in the North Northants area. This was demonstrated by the 2019 Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment. But currently there are no stopping places for travellers passing through the NNC area to use, which is why we are exploring the option of a site at Junction 3 of the A14 - somewhere that would provide a safe and secure place to stop with suitable facilities.Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council

Provision of a temporary stopping place within North Northamptonshire would enable both the council officers and Northamptonshire Police to better manage unauthorised encampments which would have a positive benefit for both our travelling groups and our local settled communities.

I look forward to discussing this potential project further with the Executive but would also like to reiterate that at this stage - nothing has been confirmed and any site would be subject to planning permission and a full public consultation.Cllr David Howes, the council’s Executive Member for Rural Communities and Localism

If the Executive approve the report, the proposal will be taken to Full Council in early 2024 for further approval.

If approved at both stages, the project will be added to the Council’s Capital Programme for 24/25 and progress to the next phase, which would include the submission of a planning application and associated public consultation on the proposals.

North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will meet on Thursday 21 December at 10am in the Corby Cube. All papers are available online and the meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube.