A REVIEW has been launched into how Basildon Council can best protect its land from travellers pitching up.

A motion was passed at last Wednesday’s regeneration and environment committee when the committee agreed to spend £30,000 on a six-month survey on how it can stop unauthorised encampments.

In the past two years the number of incursions onto council land have increased, with more than 100 from January 2016 to January 2017.

In the last 12 months, the council has spent around £60,000 dealing with major fly-tipping incidents at unauthorised encampments at Rushley Park, Wat Tyler Way and Basildon Sporting Village among others.

Although additional funds from existing budgets have been earmarked to deal with unauthorised incursions, the review will look at how the issue might be tackled more proactively – by physically stopping incursions wherever possible.

Protection methods that could be considered include fences, height barriers, bollards and boulders among others. Although these methods may provide some protection, the review will also consider the unintended consequences of protecting land in this way, such as simply moving the travellers onto private land.

Terri Sargent, Conservative councillor responsible for environment and community, criticised the move.

She said: “I think it’s a waste of money because the council knows exactly what protective measures they should be taking. They’re already listed in the committee report so why do we still need a survey?

“I put forward a proposal to the committee for two phases of actions we can take. Phase one is to install protective barriers in vulnerable sites like Noak Bridge Playing Field which has no gates or bollards. And phase two is to explore the injunction route taken by Harlow Council.”

Councillor Alan Ball, chairman of the regeneration and environment committee, said “I am delighted that the committee have agreed to undertake this very necessary review. We take these incursions incredibly seriously and have to look at all possible options for ensuring that the lives of our residents are not blighted by the encampments.”