Cardiff Local Authority run sites – Rover Way & Shirenewton
There are two Local Authority residential caravan sites for Gypsies and Travellers in Cardiff.
Shirenewton Site has 59 pitches and Rover Way Site has 21 pitches. They both have a community building but Rover Way Site is a much older site with fewer facilities and is in need of comprehensive redevelopment.
There are also two privately owned sites with planning permission and three being developed by Gypsy and Traveller families.
Although living conditions on both Local Authority sites are made difficult because of their isolation from community facilities and services, many of the resident families have lived there for over 20 years.
There are long waiting lists for both sites and both sites are overcrowded with families “doubling up” on relatives’ pitches.
There are also a number of families who pass through the area stopping on the side of the road. However, there is no authorised transit site or any form of legal short-term stopping place in Cardiff or the surrounding area.
It is estimated that approximately 50% of Gypsies and Travellers based permanently in Cardiff are now living in houses. The reasons for this include lack of sites, the harshness of living on the roadside (especially now that so many traditional stopping places are no longer available) and the need to safeguard the health and well-being of their children.
Many housed Gypsies and Travellers still wish to follow a traditional lifestyle and have their names on the waiting list for a pitch on a site.
There are two Local Authority residential caravan sites for Gypsies and Travellers in Cardiff.
Shirenewton Site has 59 pitches and Rover Way Site has 21 pitches. They both have a community building but Rover Way Site is a much older site with fewer facilities and is in need of comprehensive redevelopment.
There are also two privately owned sites with planning permission and three being developed by Gypsy and Traveller families.
Although living conditions on both Local Authority sites are made difficult because of their isolation from community facilities and services, many of the resident families have lived there for over 20 years.
There are long waiting lists for both sites and both sites are overcrowded with families “doubling up” on relatives’ pitches.
There are also a number of families who pass through the area stopping on the side of the road. However, there is no authorised transit site or any form of legal short-term stopping place in Cardiff or the surrounding area.
It is estimated that approximately 50% of Gypsies and Travellers based permanently in Cardiff are now living in houses. The reasons for this include lack of sites, the harshness of living on the roadside (especially now that so many traditional stopping places are no longer available) and the need to safeguard the health and well-being of their children.
Many housed Gypsies and Travellers still wish to follow a traditional lifestyle and have their names on the waiting list for a pitch on a site.
Map of Cardiff Sites
Click on each tab below to view a map of each site.
Map of Sites across Wales
Across Wales as a whole, at the time of the July 2022 count, there was a total number of 912 caravans on authorised sites with planning permission. Of these, 598 (66%) were on socially rented sites and 314 (34%) were on privately funded sites.
The map below shows the distribution and location of sites across Wales.
