Work was today under way on a permanent gipsy site for Runwell after the controversial project was saved from being axed.

County councillors had threatened to pull the plug on funding for the scheme because of a series of delays.

But £140,000 has now been safeguarded to create an improved site at Meadow Lane.

Sheila Clark, Essex County Council's gipsy services manager, said: "Councillors were looking at putting the money into other projects, but in the end decided to keep the money budgeted for the Runwell project.

"Chelmsford Council will now take it ahead and has already almost completed a survey on the land. Things are happening now."

County councillors had been concerned for several months about Chelmsford Council's slow progress on the project - the borough council is jointly funding the £163,000 cost and drawing up plans.

The authority dragged its heels over taking legal action against three travellers who had built permanent homes on the site without planning permission.

A report on the survey will now go before councillors and if that is approved, planning consent for the next stage of the scheme will be sought.

Eric Verns, Chelmsford Council's deputy head of environmental services, said the aim of the project was to regulate the 32 pitches already on the site.

He added: "We are not creating a new site with additional travellers, just regulating the use of Meadow Lane.

"The budget will be used to compulsorily purchase a piece of land which has been subject to illegal dumping and turn it back into a meadow for grazing horses.

"We're hoping funds will stretch to new roads and drainage, which will also benefit local residents.

"The survey will give us an indication of the layout of existing roads and where the meadow should be."

It's hoped the project will be completed within the next 18 months.

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