MORE than 40,000 issues were raised during a consultation regarding eleven proposed Gipsy and traveller sites in Newport.

During a 28-day consultation, which ended on October 4, more than 7,000 individual responses were received raising more than 40,000 issues, a Newport cabinet meeting heard on Monday.

These issues covered 26 themes including access to sites, highway safety, economic impact and flooding /drainage.

A report produced by a policy review group of councillors summarised the responses received, which had all been read, and made recommendations regarding the sites to the cabinet following extensive research.

This included the recommendation that the former road safety centre and adjacent land at Hartridge Farm Road be the preferred residential site with the former Ringland allotments listed as the second preferred choice for a residential site.

A small-scale site of four pitches at Brickyard Lane is considered acceptable as a contingency for housing need.

A yard next to the A449 is recommended as the preferred transit site while land at Celtic Way, Marshfield, is recommended as a fallback position for a transit site if negotiation to secure the A449 access is not successful.

Cabinet members stressed that no decision has yet been made and agreed the proposals go back to technical officers for a detailed assessment.

The council’s local development plan includes five proposed Gipsy and traveller sites but in June the new administration asked for a reexamination of the sites and released the new list of 11 sites in September.

A final decision about whether to amend or replace the five sites already identified in the local development plan with the newly chosen areas is due to be made by the council next March.

The council has to provide a designated Gipsy and traveller site as part of Welsh Government policy.