Homesford Traveller site option to be discussed again - Derbyshire

From the Derbyshire Dales District Council

The District Council is set to seek an independent valuation of the potential permanent site for Travellers at Homesford.

Derbyshire Dales District Council logoA special meeting of the District Council's Corporate Committee will hear next Tuesday (23 July) the results of a detailed community consultation on the Homesford site, which remains the only feasible permanent solution so far identified by the Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group (DGLG).

The consultation process, which ended in April, included a public meeting at which local residents, businesses and the parish council were invited to have their say. Feedback was also invited by post, via email and online to a series of questions about the woodyard site.

As part of the consultation, local people were asked to suggest suitable alternative sites – but none came forward.

Next week's meeting will be asked to balance the strength and relevance of public opinion against the District Council's duty to find a suitable permanent Traveller site.

Against a backdrop of further local government grant cuts announced in last month's Government spending review, options councillors will consider will include commissioning the District Valuer to provide a valuation of the site, which is privately owned. Full costings for the creation of a permanent site at Homesford could also be requested.

An additional step – applying for planning permission – is not likely to be recommended next week, and any future planning application would in any case require further public consultation.

The District Council has a legal duty to offer suitable accommodation to the Traveller family in question and has to make a suitable offer of accommodation. Ignoring this duty could result in costly legal action that would have to be borne by Derbyshire Dales Council Tax payers - and the duty would still remain.

The woodyard was the only site selected in January this year for further consideration from a list of 11 on an evaluation matrix that took into account many relevant factors, including site size, ownership, availability, proximity to residential properties, vehicular access, bus routes, shops and schools, ground conditions and access to health services.

Meanwhile, planning permission is in place for a temporary Traveller site in Rowsley for a maximum period of nine months from the first day of occupation.