A GROUP OF residents in a street in an Ebbw Vale village are "furious" as they claim travellers have begun building on land outside their homes illegally.
Residents on Calach Row in Porters Road in the village of Nantyglo are seething after a group of travellers who own the land in front of their homes have begun to build on it without proper approved planning permission.
Yvonne Bell is leading the campaign to stop the travellers building, which she claims has been done "illegally" and "without going through the proper processes".
However, it was noted that the land had been bought legally by the travellers in October 2023.
She said: "I informed the council this was happening last week and that I was worried it would happen during the Easter weekend while the offices were closed.
"We've been in touch with a number of different departments and people because we genuinely believe this work has begun without proper planning permission.
"We know this because we've been told it's not safe by the council."
Ms Bell has teamed up with other local residents, including Rhian Nuth and Tammy Wheeler, to spread the word about the building on the land, and to date, has amassed a petition with 500 signatures from other residents opposing the development on legal, amenity and safety grounds.
She said: "Some of the more elderly residents around here are terrified of what's happening - they don't feel able to even open their curtains at the moment.
"That's just not fair on any of us - we refuse to live in fear."
Ms Nuth explained that the residents had been previously told the land currently being used by the travellers is "structurally unstable and unsafe" so any applications to build on it would be refused.
She said: "If we'd been able to, we would've probably built something for the community there years ago. We got told any digging could cause damage to our houses, particularly as the digging could hit a gas main, so we haven't done anything and know that this group are doing it illegally."
The residents are concerned about the possibility of the digging causing their homes to sink into the land if it is disturbed and increase the flood risk that is already high on their narrow roads.
She said: "Our homes could drop in saleability if this continues. We already have to deal with a lot of anti-social behaviour around here from this particular group, and we just don't want it. We are facing people no longer wanting to live here, which could put our houses at risk of dropping a lot in the market."
Yvonne Bell said that Blaenau Gwent has the highest rate of travellers across Gwent, and groups such as this particular one "are not wanted".
She added: "We know plenty of other travellers who we get on with who have all said there is no way this building is being done legally.
"Whenever we try and talk to them, we get ignored or abused - they seem to think they can intimidate us into dropping this, but we need to stick together and speak up."
MP for Blaenau Gwent Nick Smith has been made aware of the situation, has visited the site and made representations to the council and police about the concerns raised by constituents.
A spokesperson for Blaenau Gwent Council said: “We can confirm that we have been made aware of land development on a site in Nantyglo.
"We are looking into this and all associated issues as a priority in order to determine an appropriate course of action.”
The council declined to comment further at this time.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel