WYRE Forest’s MP says the council’s “thoughtless move” of shortlisting the now-rejected Clows Top garage as a potential Traveller site, caused tension, worry and unrest among residents.
Mark Garnier received 80 emails from concerned constituents after the Clows Top site was suggested by Wyre Forest District Council’s Local Development Framework Panel as an alternative to possible pitches which had already been consulted on.
The garage was disregarded by cabinet last night, along with the ex-Yieldingtree Packing site, near Churchill, and land on Hoobrook Trading Estate in Kidderminster, when council officers failed to ascertain their availability for Traveller use.
Conservative Mr Garnier said: “It should never have happened.
“It was clear it was going to get batted back and cabinet would deal with it but a thoughtless move by a committee has caused more tension, more worry and more unrest.We have this issue that keeps bouncing backwards and forwards and causing a great feeling of unrest. It’s a two-way thing.
“It’s not just my constituents who live in a settled community but it’s people who live in the travelling community, in caravans as well as houses.
“I am worried that we are a community together and there’s this situation which is developing and I am not entirely convinced that the council, in its dealing with the issue, didn’t help to develop this problem.
“I represent everybody in Wyre Forest and what I am very, very keen to do is make sure we have a very harmonious community of Travellers and settled people and as such we need to be careful that there could be tensions arising.”
Mr Garnier and Conservative district councillor Julian Philips met Stourport residents who were worried when consultation added Wilden Lane as a potential site for travelling Showpeople. The idea was also scrapped by cabinet last night.
A resident at the meeting who did not want to be named said: “We were assured that there will be no site on Wilden Lane either for accommodating Travellers or storage of their equipment. It seems that as the Conservatives outnumber other parties in the area, any proposal that is put forward will be thrown out at a vote.
“Although not needed in light of Mark Garnier's assurance, around 150 signatures have to date been collected in opposition to the proposed Wilden Lane site. It is important that our views are heard and that those elected to council by us are made aware of them, otherwise how can they be sure that they are doing what the voters want?”
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