Traveller site upgrade runs into pricey issues

A £14m plan to upgrade the gypsy and traveller site at Collin could be put on hold due to spiralling costs. Officials at Dumfries and Galloway Council have been working on proposals for improving the site, after a 2018 review found it didn’t meet the government’s minimum standards. Falling demand for pitches had led to a suggestion to cut it back to nine pitches. Initially the work was forecast to cost nearly £8 million, but it’s now almost doubled and would equate to £1.6 million per pitch. There are issues with the land and subsidence, which means major structural work would be needed. Another problem is a lack of an identified suitable temporary site, where the current seven families could relocate to. Officers have now put together a report detailing all the risks and costs and it will go before the full council this week, on Thursday, for a discussion.