A height restricted barrier will be installed at Kirkstall Abbey car park to prevent travellers’ caravans and other large vehicles from entering it.
The move comes from Leeds City Council and follows a series of illegal encampments at the popular car park.
Plans for a new barrier been welcomed by Kirkstall councillors Hannah Bithell, Andy Rontree and Fiona Venner (Lab, Kirkstall).
In a statement, they said the movable barrier would enable coaches to be admitted when groups are booked to visit the museum and wider site.
They said: “We recognise that preventing camps on the Abbey car park does not solve the problem (it simply moves it elsewhere) and the council is working with the gypsy and traveller community on the need for more permanent pitches and legal negotiated stopping points.
“Nevertheless, we need to prevent camps at the Abbey car park, so that people can access the Abbey and Abbey House Museum, which has sometimes not been possible when the car park is out of use.
“We might need to get a barrier tailor made for the size we require. We will, also, have to get scheduled monument consent from Historic England and they may require us to have an archaeologist on site.
“Depending on how long this takes, we hope to have the barrier installed within a couple of months.”
The height barrier would still allow cars to access the site freely.
You need to make it high enough to allow high top vans in since it’s a public car park bought and paid for with public money.
It says it’s going to be a moveable barrier, and those with taller vehicles will need to contact the venue in advance so the barrier can be moved. Not ideal, but are there any alternatives that would work as effectively as this one?