CONCERNED residents voiced their fears over plans to expand a Gipsy site in Torfaen at a seminar this week.

Held on Monday at Pontypool Civic Centre, the aim was to provide members with an update on progress at the former Race AFC Gipsy and traveller site, following news that the Welsh Government was to provide £1,211,488 to Torfaen council to increase the size of the provision in the Cwmynyscoy ward.

The seminar was presented by council officer Adrian Wilcock, Neil Howell, and Anne Garrett, who outlined how the new funding will see an additional ten new pitches introduced at the Shepherd’s Hill site in a bid to address overcrowding by expanding onto the former Race AFC site.

But residents in the ward were keen to make their concerns known regarding the road leading to the site, which they say is not adequate for the amount of traffic and is lacking a pavement.

Other fears were whether there are adequate school places and doctors for a new intake of people living at the site, and if contractors will be using Blaendare Road as they say it is already too busy.

Officers said that they will continue to explore funding to improve the area, that they have had assurances that there are enough places at schools. They said they would have to come back with an answer on the contractors.

There are currently 40 occupied pitches on the site and the funding will complete phase one, consisting of 10 pitches. It is part of a three phase plan that could allow up to 31 pitches in total.

Torfaen council will have to fund £700,000 from prudential borrowing for remediation works on the site. The works are expected to start in September this year and be completed by March 2016.

The seminar highlighted that the Welsh Government recently introduced the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 which requires local authorities to ensure Gipsy and traveller sites are provided in areas of need.

To support this, it is providing £3.5 million in 2015-16 for the development of new sites and the improvement of existing sites in Wales.