The Craigavon Traveller Support Committee have welcomed council’s decision to grant permission for five serviced ‘bricks and mortar’ sites for the Travelling Community in the area.
Proposals were drawn up by Northern Ireland Housing Executive and placed before Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council back in October 2025.
However, it is understood that permanent accommodations on site have been sought for quite a number of years prior.
Up until now a series of temporary planning permission extensions have been granted for a halting site for eight pitches and eight steel pod showering units.
The site is located 45 metres from Moylinn House resource centre, and on “lands approximately 100metres east of 201 Legahory Court”.
With permission now granted, those eight steel amenity ‘pod’ buildings currently on site will be demolished to make way for the development.
In their place, five new permanent ‘Traveller service sites’ will be created – complete with five permanent amenity buildings, constructed of brick with concrete roof tiles and uPVC double-glazed windows.
Each amenity building will include a kitchen and dining area, bathroom, utility room, lobby and store.
And each of the areas would have room for a static caravan and two car parking spaces.
A new children’s play area within the facility will also be constructed, as well as two additional parking spaces for visitors, street lighting and bin storage facilities.
The site will be surrounded by a brick wall with fencing too, and trees planted around the boundary.
The plans received no objections from the public and attracted one letter in support from the Craigavon Traveller Support Committee (CTSC), who now celebrate the decision.
In their letter of support, CTSC said it has “long worked to promote the inclusion, wellbeing, and fair treatment of the Traveller Community across the wider Craigavon & Banbridge areas”.
It adds: “We believe this proposed development represents a positive and long overdue step toward addressing local accommodation and community needs.”
CTSC believe the development will provide “secure and appropriate facilities that meet the cultural and practical needs of Traveller families”, support improved access to essential public services, strengthen community relations through a “safe and well-managed environment” and contribute to the council’s commitments under Equality and Good Relations duties.
Upon learning that work can now proceed, CTSC said: “Today we were delighted to learn that planning permission has been granted to upgrade the Legahory Close Traveller site for current residents. This process has taken seven years to complete.
“Our goal now is to make sure that the Housing Executive follows through with its commitment to provide decent Traveller accommodation for the current residents on site.”
