MONMOUTHSHIRE County Council documents have confirmed where four potential new traveller sites could be located - with one on the site of a former infectious disease isolation hospital.

A meeting of the council's cabinet will meet on Wednesday, July 26, to decide whether to commence a consultation about four pieces of council-owned land which could potentially be used to meet their legal obligation to provide gypsy and traveller pitch requirements.

Before that, the report will be discussed in a scrutiny committee tomorrow (Wednesday, July 19).

The four sites in Monmouthshire being considered by MCC as potential traveller sites

The sites are:

  • Manson Heights, Monmouth;
  • Garthi Close, Mitchell Troy;
  • Rocklea, Mitchell Troy;
  • Langley Close, Magor.

There is a fifth site - Dancing Hill, Undy - which has been deemed as "possibly not suitable, but not currently determined".

Of the four main candidate sites, Manson Heights was found to have once been the site of an isolation hospital for infectious diseases in the early part of the 20th century.

With that in mind, council documents state that further development of the site would be subject to a contamination investigation.

A gypsy and traveller assessment was previously undertaken in 2021 and identified that 13 pitches were needed by 2033 to enable members of the travelling community to be able to build a successful life and gain employment and where children can attend school.  

Utilising council owned-land is just one option for providing gypsy and traveller pitch provision.

Households can also identify and suggest land themselves and the council say they welcome "any possible suggestions from local landowners".