Council defends proposed Croft Traveller Transit Site as parish council voice concern

FOLLOWING yesterday’s revelation by Warrington Worldwide that a property and adjoining land in Croft have been identified as the preferred location for a proposed Gypsy and Traveller transit site, Warrington Borough Council has issued a detailed response defending the scheme while acknowledging concerns raised by Croft Parish Council.

The proposal, which still requires planning permission before any development can proceed, has already generated significant debate, with opponents questioning the suitability of the rural location and the lack of public consultation before the land purchase was approved by the council’s cabinet.
However, the council insists the scheme is intended to address a long-standing legal requirement while reducing the number of unauthorised encampments across Warrington.
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “We have a long-established requirement to provide a Gypsy and Traveller transit site in Warrington. The provision of a transit site will help the council meet its legal obligations under the Housing Act 2004 in relation to accommodation needs for the travelling community whilst helping to reduce unauthorised encampments across the borough.”
The council says a permanent transit site would also strengthen enforcement powers available to police.
The spokesperson added: “A permanent transit site would bring a number of benefits for Warrington. It would strengthen the council’s ability to manage unauthorised encampments by enabling the police to use powers available under Sections 62A-62E of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to direct travellers to an authorised site within the borough. Failure to comply, or returning within three months after being directed away, may constitute an offence.”
Pointing to examples elsewhere in Cheshire, the council argues similar facilities have already proved effective.
The spokesperson added: “Transit sites have been used successfully in neighbouring authorities to provide short-term accommodation for travelling communities and to reduce unauthorised encampments. Halton Council has operated a transit site for several years and has seen significantly fewer unauthorised encampments. Since opening a transit site in early 2025, Cheshire East has also reported a reduction in the number and frequency of encampments, while Cheshire West and Chester is progressing plans for its own facility.”
The authority also highlighted the financial burden of dealing with unauthorised encampments without a dedicated facility.
The spokesperson continued: “As the council currently has no dedicated facility, it instead has to manage encampments on a case-by-case basis. In addition to the disruption caused by unauthorised encampments, the council incurs substantial costs relating to enforcement, legal action, officer time, land security measures and site clean-up. These recurring costs place significant pressure on council resources.”
The council confirmed that £2 million had already been earmarked for the project several years ago and revealed the scale of the search undertaken before identifying the Croft site.
The spokesperson said: “A capital allocation of £2 million was approved several years ago to identify, acquire and develop a suitable site. Warrington’s search for a suitable location has been ongoing for more than a decade, covering over 100 potential sites and attracting significant public and media interest. It remains a complex and sensitive issue. In late 2025, officers identified a property and parcel of land considered suitable for development as a transit site. Cabinet approval was sought to acquire the site and progress the necessary permissions and approvals. Given the historic challenges associated with identifying a suitable location, details were kept confidential while preliminary work was undertaken.”
According to the council, the proposed facility would be used only for short-term stays and would include basic amenities.
The spokesperson explained: “The proposed site would provide short-term accommodation, including amenity facilities such as showers, toilets, washrooms and laundry facilities. Occupancy would be limited to 28 days, with users required to pay fees and charges, including utility costs, in advance of their stay.”
Addressing criticism from Croft Parish Council and residents, the authority acknowledged the concerns but maintained the site had been selected after careful assessment.
The spokesperson said: “We recognise that no location is without challenges and understand the concerns raised by the Parish Council and local residents. However, in considering the wider needs of the borough, members support the principle of delivering an appropriately managed transit site. The location identified was considered suitable due to its proximity to the strategic road network and its limited impact on neighbouring properties.”
The council stressed that the proposal is still at an early stage and that residents will have the opportunity to formally object or support the scheme through the planning process.
The spokesperson concluded: “The development cannot proceed without planning permission. Any application will be subject to the normal planning process, which will be open, transparent and available for public scrutiny and comment.”
The proposed Croft site has become one of the most contentious planning issues in the borough in recent years. While the council argues it has a statutory duty to provide a transit site and points to evidence from neighbouring authorities that such facilities reduce unauthorised encampments and associated costs, many residents remain unconvinced that Croft is the right location.
When a planning application is submitted, it is expected to attract significant public interest, with supporters likely to argue that Warrington must fulfil its legal obligations, while opponents are expected to challenge both the choice of site and its potential impact on the surrounding community.

Cllr. Stuart Mann

In response Cllr Stuart Mann, Chair of Croft Parish Council, Member of Winwick Parish Council and Warrington Borough Councillor for Burtonwood & Winwick said: “Warrington Borough Council’s statement today finally provides the clarity that Croft Parish Council, local residents and neighbouring communities have been seeking.
“The Council has now confirmed that the land recently purchased on Winwick Lane is intended to become Warrington’s permanent Gypsy and Traveller transit site, subject to planning permission.
Neither I, nor Croft Parish Council, dispute that Warrington Borough Council has a legal responsibility to make appropriate provision for the travelling community. We recognise that a well-managed transit site can bring wider benefits to the borough by helping to reduce unauthorised encampments and enabling the Council and police to use the powers available to them. This should never become a debate about the travelling community themselves.
“However, recognising the need for a transit site is entirely different from accepting that this is the right location or agreeing with the way this decision has been reached.
As Chair of Croft Parish Council, a member of Winwick Parish Council and the Warrington Borough Councillor representing Burtonwood and Winwick, the ward which this property sits on the border of, I am profoundly disappointed by the process that has brought us to this point.
“Following the Kenyon Lane proposal, which divided communities, generated significant public concern and ultimately contributed to the resignation of a Labour Borough Councillor, I genuinely believed Warrington Borough Council would have learnt important lessons about openness, transparency and early engagement with the communities most directly affected by major decisions.
Instead, today’s announcement confirms exactly what Croft Parish Council had suspected through its own research. A site had been identified, Cabinet approval obtained, the land acquired and preliminary work progressed before either of the two Parish Councils directly affected by the proposal had been meaningfully engaged.
Whilst I fully appreciate there are occasions when commercial confidentiality is necessary during land negotiations, confidentiality cannot become a substitute for transparency. Once the purchase had completed, there should have been proactive engagement with Croft Parish Council, Winwick Parish Council and ward members before residents discovered what was happening through Land Registry records and investigative work.
“That is not how strong local government should operate.
It is particularly disappointing given Warrington Borough Council’s repeated commitments over recent years to improve governance, openness and public confidence following well-publicised challenges facing the authority. Unfortunately, this episode risks reinforcing the perception that significant decisions continue to be developed behind closed doors before local communities are brought into the conversation.
“The Council’s statement also raises further questions that deserve clear answers.
“We are told that more than 100 potential sites were considered before this location was selected. Was this work undertaken through the Council’s cross-party Traveller Transit Site Working Group? If so, when did that group last meet, what recommendations did it make and what role did elected members play in selecting this site? If not, what governance process was followed before Cabinet approved the acquisition? These are entirely reasonable questions that deserve transparent answers.
“The timing of this announcement also cannot be viewed in isolation.
“Across this part of Warrington, our rural communities are already facing an unprecedented level of strategic development pressure.
Croft is currently considering proposals for up to 200 homes at Turret Hall Farm. Winwick has only recently been presented with proposals for around 200 homes on land off Golborne Road. We continue to await further information regarding the proposed biogas facility close to Winwick village. Alongside those proposals sits the potential ILP North Strategic Rail Freight Interchange, a development of up to 8.2 million square feet that would fundamentally change the character of this part of North Warrington if approved. (croftparishcouncil.gov.uk)
Now we learn that the Council’s preferred location for the borough’s transit site is immediately adjoining Croft and on the boundary with Winwick.
“No one proposal should necessarily be judged because another exists. Every planning application must be considered on its own planning merits.
“However, residents in Croft, Winwick and neighbouring Culcheth and Glazebury are entitled to look at the cumulative picture and ask whether our rural communities are being expected to shoulder a disproportionate amount of strategic development. Increasingly, there is a growing feeling that our villages are being asked to absorb decision after decision while receiving little meaningful engagement before those decisions are made.
“That feeling cannot simply be dismissed. It needs to be listened to.
The Council has confirmed that a planning application will be required and that residents will have the opportunity to comment through the normal planning process. Croft Parish Council welcomes that commitment.
“When that application is submitted, Croft Parish Council will consider it carefully, objectively and entirely on its planning merits. We will scrutinise the evidence, examine the impacts, engage constructively throughout the process and represent the interests of our community fairly and responsibly.
“But planning is only one part of this story.
“The other part is about trust.
“Trust is built through openness, early engagement and genuine partnership with local communities—not by leaving parish councils and residents to piece together significant public decisions from Land Registry records before eventually receiving confirmation after the fact.
“I sincerely hope Warrington Borough Council reflects on that as this proposal moves forward.

Could history be repeating itself over traveller site in Croft?