Traveller site in Cottenham inspected by South Cambs Council

South Cambridgeshire District Council inspected Smithy Fen traveller site in Cottenham <i>(Image: South Cambridgeshire District Council)</i>
South Cambridgeshire District Council inspected Smithy Fen traveller site in Cottenham (Image: South Cambridgeshire District Council)
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The council has visited a long-established Cambridgeshire traveller site to ensure it is complying with regulations.

South Cambridgeshire District Council carried out the inspection on June 10 at the Smithy Fen Gypsy and Traveller site in Cottenham.

It forms part of the council's wider efforts to ensure that all Gypsy and Traveller sites in the area are safe, lawful, and used for their intended purpose.

Councillor Laurence Damary-Homan, lead cabinet member for environment at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "This visit marked an important step in helping the Council build a clearer picture of how Smithy Fen is currently being used.

"We want to make sure the site is safe for everyone, and where it is not, make sure we have the necessary information to try and take action.

"The Council is committed to engaging with all residents in a fair and respectful way, and this fact-finding work will help gather the information needed to support safe, lawful and inclusive communities."

Around 70 caravans were visited and some residents were spoken to in order to establish who is living there.

Smithy Fen is a long-established traveller site with individual plots subject to planning conditions that include the need for Gypsy and Travellers to live in the caravans.

The caravans must also comply with the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, which regulates caravan sites across the UK and gives local authorities control over where and how caravans are used.

This legislation considers health, safety, and living conditions for people staying in caravans and includes areas such as spacing between units, water supply, drainage, toilets, fire safety and electrical systems.

Officers from a range of services were present to talk to residents and provide advice.

Language support was also provided to ensure all residents could engage fully with the Council.

Police were present but only to offer support if required.

Cllr Damary-Homan said: "The next step is to review all the information gathered.

"Any future actions will be guided by the findings of the visit.

"We remain committed to ensuring that authorised sites are safe places to live.

"The timeline to take any appropriate action is governed by the legal process - we must ensure we thoroughly assess the information we have gathered and follow the necessary steps to get the best outcome that is fair and right by all our residents."

The council will now carefully assess information gathered during conversations with residents.

Should any breaches of planning, licensing, or council tax regulations be identified, the council will follow lawful and proportionate procedures to address them.

Any further action will be carried out in line with legal requirements and with sensitivity to the housing needs of the community.

A similar operation was carried out last October at a Gypsy and Traveller site on Fen Road in Chesterton, where the council spoke to residents across around 100 caravans to establish who was living on site and whether they are complying with relevant planning regulations.

Following that investigation, an enforcement notice was issued for The Laurels section of the Fen Road site, where caravans were found to be on land without planning permission.

The landowners appealed but the Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal, ordering the site to be cleared by November 2026.

Additional enforcement notices were also issued for other parts of the site where investigations identified residents who were not Gypsies or Travellers, in contravention of planning conditions.

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