RESIDENTS fighting plans for a Gipsy site in Bettws will march to Newport’s council offices to voice their opposition tomorrow.

Householders in will gather at Bettws Shopping Centre at 10am and then assemble at The King’s Head Hotel in Newport at 11.15am before marching to the civic centre to hand in a petition.

Four hundred people crammed into Bettws Social Club on Monday night for a meeting led by a group of residents, called ‘Say no to the permanent or temporary caravan site in Bettws’ to discuss a plans for a site at Yew Tree Cottage.

The group’s chairman, Kevin Whitehead, said it was not a racist issue and asked anyone in favour of the site coming to Bettws to raise their hand.

None did.

Residents’ concerns include the impact on local services such as the dentist, doctor’s surgery and schools and called for the money to be spent on regenerating the estate, and shopping centre instead.

Other fears include an increase in traffic, rubbish and anti-social behaviour and concerns that once it is in place more travellers will come to the area.

The meeting was the latest following Newport council’s choice of five possible areas for a travellers’ site in the city, which also include land at Pound Hill, Marshfield, two sites at Pye Corner and one at Queensway Meadows, Nash.

‘Sound’ basis for opposition

AROUND 150 people attended a public meeting on proposals to build three sites in Nash, including Cllr David Hando, one of the councillors who drew up the shortlist.

Community councillor Tony Ducroq said opposition was based on sound planning arguments and the city council had not followed guidelines for the siting of Gipsy sites, including not putting them on a flood plain or areas of Special Scientific Interest – which he said would discount two of the sites.

He said permission for new builds in Broadstreet Common had been refused because they would be outside the village environs and questioned how the council could consider these sites.