From iccoventry.co.uk
A FAMILY of Travellers has been blocked from setting up a permanent base on a green field site near Bulkington.
They had applied to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council for permission to park one caravan and two mobile homes at Two Trees Farm in Mile Tree Lane, close to the Coventry city boundary.
But, following a lengthy debate, planning committee members refused to give the go-ahead.
The request was made by Jason Fury to provide homes for relatives, along with two transit pitches and an area of hardstanding.
His agent, Philip Brown, told the committee: “The purpose is to accommodate close family members who are not new to the area. This would allow them to be together and would give them a settled base for their children to go to school.”
Planning officer Chris Kingham outlined the application and said that although it was “inappropriate” for the green belt and would have a “negative impact” on the area, there were special reasons that approval should be given.
“The requirement for Travellers in the borough is 27 pitches and since 2007 only 10 have been provided. The families also have health and educational needs to be accommodated on this site and would suffer significantly if they were forced to adopt a transitory lifestyle. The recommendation is to grant temporary planning permission for four years.”
Letters of objection have been lodged by many residents and one of them, Paul Bates, said: “This decision should have everything to do with the green belt and not who wants to live there. The countryside in this location has been systematically destroyed over the past few years.”
Councillor Des O’Brien (Con, Bulkington) said: “The people of Bulkington are not prejudiced or racist but have had more than their fair share of development by Travellers. We all accept they have got to live somewhere but their sites should be spread around more.”
The decision to refuse the planning application was carried by eight votes to four, with one abstention.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.