Gypsy site plans refused - Cheshire

From wilmslow.co.uk

Controversial plans to build a a Gypsy site on green belt land off Moor Lane have been refused by Cheshire East Council.

The Council received over 600 letters objecting to the proposal to change the use of the 0.46 hectare of open land for the stationing of one mobile home, one touring caravan and a utility/dayroom on hard standing.

Due to the significant local interest in the proposal the Head of Development referred the decision to the Northern Planning Committee who met today. Nearly 100 members of the public attended today's meeting at Macclesfield Town Hall to hear the decision.

Ward councillors Wesley Fitzgerald and Gary Barton both spoke to oppose the application as did local resident Terry Sleigh. Nobody spoke in favour at the meeting.

Cllr Wesley Fitzgerald said "This is a Green Belt site and although exceptional cases can be made for certain types of development a gypsy encampment is definitely not one of them."

Cllr Gary Barton said "The new government has introduced a new localism agenda which we are told seeks to put the views of the public at the core and plans to ensure their views are upheld. With around 700 letters of objection and a very firm objection from Wilmslow Town Council the local community has spoken and government guidance is very clear on this issue."

He added "Inappropriate development is harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved, except in very special circumstances. Travellers site, temporary or permanent, in the Green Belt are inappropriate development.

"Green Belt boundaries should be altered only in exceptional circumstances. If a local planning authority wishes to make exceptional limited alteration to the defined Green belt boundary to meet a specific, identified need for a Traveller site it should do so only through the plan-making process and not in response to a planning application."

Cllr Laura Jeuda voted in favour of the application. She said "I would like to support the application on the grounds it is one unit. When we went on the site visit we couldn't see anything from the road. I think it should be allowed, we should be supporting these people."

Committee members voted by seven votes to one to refuse the application on the grounds that insufficient information has been submitted with the application in order to assess adequately the impact of the proposed development on nature conservation interests. In particular adequate surveys for the existence of water voles, badgers and reptiles were not submitted.

The application was also refused on the grounds that "The proposed development is inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and results in a loss of openness and encroachment into the countryside. It is not considered that the unmet need for gypsy accommodation in the area and other material considerations advanced by the applicant amount to very special circumstances that would clearly outweigh the identified harm to the Green Belt.

"The proposal is therefore contrary to policies GC1 and DC31 of the Macclesfield Borough Local Plan, the National Planning Policy Framework and planning policy for traveller sites."

Speaking immediately after the meeting, Cllr Gary Barton told me "I am very pleased that Cheshire East Council has made the right decision. The legislation made it very clear but we have to be mindful that this is not the end of the matter, the applicant has the right to appeal so we have to remain vigilant.

"I am very grateful for the overwhelming response the public made. I have never dealt with an application which has had such a strong level of interest and concern. I must have fielded close to 100 phone calls about this application and my answer phone was filled with messages three times."