Posted on behalf of Wrexham Community Safety Partnership.
The Groves site has been vacated, and we are in the process of cleaning-up and securing the area to prevent any future settlements.
Any remaining equipment and rubbish will be removed from the site within the next few days.
Nearby CCTV cameras have been redirected to cover the former camp, and signage notifying the public of CCTV surveillance will be installed. Council security teams will continue to patrol and monitor the site.
Cambrian Cleaning Services with staff support from Ty Croeso (substance misuse service) will carry out a basic clear-up, which will include removing any remaining drug paraphernalia and any other equipment and waste.
This will be followed by the removal of scrub and vegetation from the Chester Road side of the site, and 200m of temporary fencing will then be put in place to secure the site.
This work will be complete by Friday, September 29.
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Positive progress
Extensive profiling has enabled us to offer support packages to a number of people that were spending time on the Groves site.
We’ve made positive progress with a number of these individuals and they are in the process of accessing support.
We’ll continue to progress with this work, with support from our outreach workers and colleagues from partner agencies.
A statement from Cllr Hugh Jones (Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety) has detailed the partnership’s position with respect to further work.
“Outreach officers working on behalf of the Wrexham Community Safety Partnership have been engaging with those on the Groves site for some time, with many of the vulnerable people there showing a keenness to get into longer-term recovery.
“Many of those on the site have moved on of their own accord, and the number of people sleeping overnight at the site has dwindled gradually over time.
“I’ve previously stated that the Groves site would be tolerated only for temporary use – it was never intended to be a long-term site and as such we were prepared for it to empty over time.
“The purpose of the camp and the plan put forward by the Gold Group [made up of local politicians and senior members of the police, council and other agencies] was to get vulnerable people engaged at a service level, so they could be supported on to a lasting route to recovery.
“While people gradually leaving the site will affect delivery – inasmuch outreach workers will not be able to work with those in need at a single location – the scope and aims of the plan remain unchanged, and the Groves was never intended to be an integral part of this strategy.
“The initial plan will only change inasmuch as workers will be required to meet with those individuals elsewhere.
“We will continue to work with them, and all partners are keen to keep up the level of support given where engagement is shown.
“That includes support into accommodation, or encouraging the better management of accommodation for those who already have tenancies.”
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