Plans for new Travellers' site in Rangeworthy are deferred after land ownership is questioned - Gloucestershire

NO DECISION was reached about plans for a second Travellers’ site in Rangeworthy after questions of land ownership brought council deliberations to an abrupt halt last week.

Just one day before the South Gloucestershire Council development committee west meeting on Thursday, planning officers received a document suggesting that TL Demolition did not own the Tanhouse Lane grounds in their entirety.

This unexpected turn of events meant that for legal reasons and despite councillors pushing for an immediate vote on the proposed 14 pitches to accommodate Gypsies and Travellers, the final decision was deferred pending investigation.

Planning officer Helen O’Connor revealed the existence of the controversial letter to councillors.

She said: "We can’t ignore this correspondence. We need to act reasonably.
"This is a procedural issue we need to resolve before making a decision either way. The planning authority needs to demonstrate that it has acted in a legal manner.
"We need to go back and check the ownership."

The news was greeted with jeers from the Tanhouse Lane residents sitting in the public gallery. They were backed by Cllr Ben Walker who urged his colleagues to vote against the application anyway, on the grounds of the site’s impact on locals.

The applicant, Shannon Parks, of Shannon Parks Ltd, said that the site had been identified as part of the West of England Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment which found 58 residential and 25 transit pitches were needed in South Gloucestershire.

"Gypsies and Travellers have a right to live in the way that they choose to. We have had a huge amount of support for this project from the Gypsy and Traveller community," she said.

Yet, committee members pointed out that there was already an unused Travellers’ site in Hall End, less than half a mile from Tanhouse Lane.

Cllr Howard Gawler added: "There is hardly a demonstrable need for the site. There are only two Traveller families on the waiting list.

"The size of the site is out of proportion. It would increase traffic and Tanhouse Lane is very narrow. We should not be increasing traffic by design."

A total of 12 pitches would be created for residential purposes and a further two added for transit.

Tanhouse Lane residents David Powell and his wife Karen attended the meeting. They would be the most affected by the Gypsy site as their house would be right next door to it.

Mr Powell told The Gazette: "There were plenty of grounds for refusal. Each pitch is for three families. It’s not just the issue of getting caravans in that concerns us. It’s the issue of how many vehicles there will be per family going in and out at all times."

Malcolm Finniear, who also lives on Tanhouse Lane, said: "We are disappointed. We are right on the corner where their cars would pass every day. It would not be safe at all."

A decision will now be made on January 5.