Green light for Travellers' plans for development - Cornwall

A FAMILY of Travellers from St Stephen say they are "absolutely thrilled" after being granted planning permission to build permanent structures, despite parish council objection.

Councillors unanimously passed the application at a Central Sub-Area Planning Committee meeting at County Hall in Truro on Wednesday.

The application proposed the building of two dayrooms including the relocation of a mobile home and the re-use of a redundant septic tank on the Peneden Long Lane High Street site.

The applicants, husband and wife Roy and Kay Meaden, were present at the meeting.

Mr Meaden said to the committee: "It's for me and my family. It would provide us with better facilities, utility use, as well as a bathroom.

"My eldest daughter is at Brannel School at the moment and will be leaving this year. She wants to attend college. This will provide her with a place to study and it will also benefit my other children."

St Stephen-in-Brannel Parish Council were not present at the meeting due to a full parish council meeting on the same night, but had previously voiced their objections.

After the meeting, parish council chairman Kim Wonnacott said: "The original application was granted on the grounds that any structures put in that location could be removed.

"There's a policy against development in the countryside. If an application wants to build a house in a field it would be turned down under that policy.

"Our objection was purely on policy. Years ago there had been a structure put up in that location by a different owner – a barn for animals – but because there was no planning permission for it there was enforcement and it had to be removed.

"It's extremely difficult. The site is immaculate. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just that development should not take place on that site as it is a rural location, which was previously used as grazing land."

Mrs Meaden said after the meeting that they were delighted with the outcome.

"We are just over the moon. We can't believe it. We don't know when we are going to start construction but we're absolutely thrilled," she said.

"We just want the best for our kids – a better start in life than what we had. It hasn't sunk in yet."

The site previously only had planning permission for two static caravans which can only be occupied by Gypsies and travellers.