Fury as Traveller site given go ahead - Cheshire

From the Ellesmere Port Pioneer

A FURIOUS resident has slammed the council for giving the green light to a residential Gypsy and Traveller site in Ellesmere Port.

Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) yesterday revealed outline planning approval has been granted to build a £1.44m 12-pitch development, complete with utility blocks and a warden’s office, on Rossfield Road council depot in Overpool.

But an angry resident is branding the plans ‘a travesty’.

Glenn Higgins, of Ellesmere Port Residents, who collected almost 1,000 signatures on a petition opposing the development, said he was ‘disgusted’.

He said: “CWaC say stuff about listening to the community but they don’t because everyone’s up in arms about this.”

The move is part of proposals to combat unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller sites across West Cheshire, and Executive members will meet on May 1 to decide whether to back required legal agreements to grant funding for the site and another at Winsford.

The Ellesmere Port site, which would be partly funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), is just metres away from Rossfield Park – on a site earmarked by Peel for a massive development.

Developers have submitted an outline planning bid to build a hotel, pub, petrol station and shops on the 6.4 acre site.

The Ellesmere Port application is due for determination in July.

Mr Higgins added: “We all agree they need accommodation but why this site? I just don’t know if there’s much we can do now.”

Councils are legally required to undertake regular assessments of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers living in, or travelling through their area and must include those requirements in their housing strategy.

Each pitch attracts a New Homes Bonus (NHB) payment to the council for 6 years, and for both sites this will be in the region of £300,000.

However, Charlie Seward, CWaC’s Director of Growth and Prosperity said: “The shortage of Gypsy and Traveller sites has led to issues such as unauthorised developments in the Green Belt and unauthorised encampments on both private and council-owned land.

“The lack of alternative provision has been sufficient to establish the ‘very special circumstances’ needed to justify ‘inappropriate’ development in the Green Belt.

“Failure to make provision for Gypsies and Travellers would likely lead to further applications being sought to develop residential pitches in less suitable Green Belt locations.”

A Cheshire Partnership Gypsy Traveller Coordinator said they were unable to comment until after the Executive meeting on May 1.