PLANS to hold a review into a controversial travellers site have been labelled “totally unnecessary”.

Councillor Simon Phipps said he feared Dudley would become the “traveller’s capital of the Black Country” if the site in Coseley didn’t go ahead as planned.

However, council leader, Cllr Pete Lowe, who announced the review after Labour took control of Dudley Council, saying they wanted to make sure the site was in the right location.

Plans to spend £280,000 converting the council-owned land in Budden Road into a temporary site for travellers have been met with concerns by local councillors and residents that it would become a “dumping ground”.

Council bosses argue that having such a site in the borough will cut down drastically on the number of illegal encampments at parks and beauty spots.

Currently, the council is spending £150,000 a year on legal fees and clean-up costs.

Cllr Phipps called on Cllr Lowe to stop the review and commit to having a transit site open in time for next year.

“If we don't, I fear that Dudley will become the traveller’s capital of the Black Country,” he added.

Cllr Phipps called the review a “totally unnecessary delay”.

“Once it is operational, it will mean that police can force illegal traveller encampments, which have blighted our borough for the last few years and cost taxpayer hundreds of thousands, to move to the site or leave the borough within two hours.”

Cllr Phipps claims he was told that there was no intention to delay the establishment of a transit site.

“However, the fact that this decision is now being reviewed means there will be a delay.

“Without prompt action, the costs for policing illegal encampments, their eviction and the clean-up of the mess that some travellers groups leave behind could potentially sky rocket.”

The application was approved by a committee of councillors in May and has since been reviewed by the Secretary of State who was happy for the matter to be determined by the local planning authority.

Councillor Pete Lowe, leader of Dudley Council, said: “We have made it clear we are very supportive of the need for a temporary travellers site in the borough.

"The review is about making sure we look at every detail in identifying the best site for this.

"The review will be carried out thoroughly, but as quickly as is practically possible and hopefully result in proposals which are acceptable to everyone.

"At present, nothing is in or out and we are keeping an open mind.”