Bury Council: Redevelopment of and existing Gypsy and Traveller site

• Well established Gypsy and Traveller site which had been operating since 1990, initially as a Transit site (intended for short term use) it was used as a permanent site and managed by the Council’s Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO) – Six Town Housing.
• The site was not deemed compliant with modern Traveller Site Model Standards therefore needed a significant redesign and refurbishment capital investment to enable it to be reclassified for its 'permanent' status, modernize the accommodation and address health and safety issues relating to fire safety, land contamination, and overcrowding.  
• The refurbishment works warranted a decant programme (as this was deemed preferable to an alternative site) and the council managed the return of the residents to their newly refurbished homes at an agreed time and date. 

A project team were created during 2019/20 that included officers from Six Town Housing (STH) and the council’s Business Growth and Infrastructure team; their task was to review existing arrangements, research and benchmark alternative locations and good practice, build a robust business case and implement a detailed project plan to consider the most appropriate arrangements for the Gypsy and Traveller site.     

The existing site

The group concluded the existing site was not fit for purpose and whilst the travellers had pride in their own caravans and living arrangements, the site itself had fallen into disrepair.

The transit site was originally developed for seventeen pitches, complete with an amenity block serving each, these blocks were very small and consisted of a bath, toilet and food preparation area. There was no living space in them and were often left unheated which caused mildew and mould on the block work finish.

There were a number of improvements needed to the site, to address: 

• Fire safety and Overcrowding: Caravan spacing on the site was inadequate due to the site constraints.
• Contamination of mounds evidenced by independent soil sampling assessments.
• Air quality: Smells, dust and noise from adjacent industrial processes due to poor site layout. 
• Amenity blocks fallen into disrepair – which was a costly ongoing management issue.
• Dissatisfaction from the community with regard to the lack of space. 
• Redevelopment of the site fell out of the Service Level Agreement between the Council and Six Town Housing.

The Council proposed to redevelop the site with a new design aligned with 'permanent' status and include modern services and amenities wherever possible in-line with Designing Gypsy Sites Good Practice Guide 2008 best practice. 

Bury Council was committed to supporting this project but the cost of the new site represented a significant barrier to delivery.

Delivering the new site 

The project team were tasked with an option appraisal relating to the consideration of a new location for the site as well as the redevelopment of the existing location. In total 20 alternative sites were looked at across the borough as part of this exercise but discounted for a range of issues relating to site constraints, site conditions, and development costs.

As it was clear that re-development of the existing site was the most appropriate option an extensive consultation exercise with the residents commenced. This considered:

• all aspects of the technical remediation and refurbishment
• a plan for the temporary closure of the site and relocation of residents
• a timetable for the travellers to return to the site. 

Concurrently officers worked to quantify the costs of the works particularly relating to land contamination and the revised site provision, looking to existing capital monies and external funding opportunities via key partner agencies such as Homes England.   

Key tasks undertaken: 

• secure voluntary surrender of pitch agreements
• undertake ground investigations to ascertain contamination levels
• proposed new site layout and consultation
• review of existing management arrangements relating to the site
• finance and budget management of capital works
• procurement of employers agent and subsequent appointment of contractor
• project management. 

Securing voluntary surrender of pitch agreement

To progress the preferred redevelopment option, it was necessary to consult and commence negotiations with the traveller community living on the site to secure their consent to voluntarily surrender their agreements. External legal advice was sought on this matter. 

A legal agreement was drafted suitable for each of the 12 pitches to voluntarily surrender their pitch agreement for the redevelopment period. The agreement specified a compensation amount based on a combination of the minimum statutory home loss plus an allowance for disturbances.

The Travellers signed the agreement once start on site date was agreed.

Ground investigations

The site was historically used as a landfill. A local, reputable firm was commissioned to conduct technical surveys to inform the approach to remediating the site for residential use. This concluded that the made ground was surrounded by earth bungs containing a mixture of soil and solid waste material (rubber, timber, metal, fabric, plaster etc). 

The cost of removal and disposal of the abnormal materials was estimated and factored into the financial planning for the redevelopment.

New site design

The guidance contained in the ‘Communities and Local Government Designing Gypsy and Traveller sites, Good Practice Guide’ is intended to familiarise local authorities and developers with the key elements necessary to design a successful site and to identify good practice. This guidance was used to form the basis to ensure the new site design had regard to:

• the cultural needs of Gypsies and Travellers
• the intended use and longevity of the site
• the need for site design to facilitate economic and effective management of the site
• the Model Standards for park homes, and in particular the standards to apply to sites accommodating dwellings made from combustible materials.

Officers engaged with a specialist architect to design the new site; the travellers have been heavily involved in the design and officers and residents have pushed the architects to their creative limits to incorporate the Traveller’s needs wherever possible.

Utilising this guidance documentation alongside the intensive engagement with the residents and architects ensured the new scheme design reflected good practice and the ownership of the design process by the residents:

• Land per household which is suitable for a mobile home, touring caravan and a utility building, together with space for parking
• Electric Vehicle charging points for each of the 12 pitches.
• An office for the administration of the site.
• Small communal meeting and educational area as a resource for the travellers sustainable, safe and easy to manage and maintain.
• Quality standard, equitable to that which would be expected for social housing. 
• Support harmonious relations between Gypsies and Travellers and the settled community.

Review of management arrangements relating to the site

New procedures and arrangements were put in place relating to the operational running of the site providing clarity for the residents, the council and housing officers. Confirmation relating to key contacts, compliance testing and arrangements, the Service Level Agreement and maintaining the level of interaction throughout the refurbishment and after the residents returned.

Finance and budget management

Cabinet approval was obtained for the work to proceed in July 2021. This incorporated a contribution in excess of £2 million from the Councils Capital Programme, and agreement that a bid be made to Homes England under the Affordable Homes Programme for funding to support the project. The bid was successful, adding £840,000 to the funds available for the refurbishment project. 

These monies to fund the work to address the contaminated land identified and strategy for remediation and the design and build of the proposed 12 new pitches and landscaping.

Project Management

Post approval the project management of the refurbishment accelerated to ensure that the timeframe for the build/remediation was delivered as this was intrinsically linked to the pitch surrender, decant and return to site arrangements.

Engagement with the residents was increased also and intensive support provided relating to the decant process including legal, benefits advice and storage arrangements. 

A building contractor was appointed and undertook preliminary works regarding site preparation/planning. All travellers decanted off the site with compensation awarded to assist with costs.

The official start on site was late September 2022 with target completion by August 2023. The timetable was extended by four weeks in Summer 2024 to reflect a delay in the installation of electricity cabling by the utility provider. 

A phased return of the 12 families was undertaken at the beginning of September 2023 and all families were in situ by the second week in September 2023. 

The new site clearly shows the improvements and the additional space created by the removal of the large soil mounds. The amenity blocks have been well received with residents choosing all finishes relating to the living areas.

Feedback concerning the standard of accommodation and external areas has been positive albeit there were some snagging and defects issues to overcome, which are typical of any development. An effective process for managing and communicating the defects process ensure swift reconciliation.

Continued full occupancy of the site and increased interest in availability of pitches has been evidenced.

The new community block is well used for a range of community-based and educational purposes with the residents responsible for the facility's use, health and safety and security.

Updated tenancy and SLA arrangements have ensured greater clarity and ownership of the site by residents and officers alike. Clarification of responsibilities and liaison arrangements are working albeit there are challenges in ensuring the new tenancy agreement stipulations are adhered to and understood. This is not unusual and is a work in progress. 

Communication channels are established and working – residents have referenced greater awareness relating to engagement with various parts of the council, but building trust will be a long–term process between officers and the residents.

There are many, to provide a snapshot:

• Agree plans and specifications with residents covering all aspects of the site, formalising and recording consultation and involvement in decision making at key milestones.
• Formalised decant process with achievable long stop date – build in significant tolerance level to account for delays. Be aware of compensation policy and have a clear process in place for managing this.
• Project planning with dedicated PM support with robust financial controls to monitor and mitigate risks, ensure project parameters and scope are adhered to with a recognized process for change requests.
• Assess full risks of the site including its location and proximity and impact of the proposed development to neighbouring properties. 
• Ensure residents fully understand the defects and snagging process (post development), put in place a clear process, communications and reporting arrangements.
• Expect challenges and wider issues to arise, be resilient and prepared for tough conversations when things don’t go to plan. However, the end product makes it worth it.

Ged Gallagher

Housing Growth and Delivery Manager

Bury Council