Burscough, Scarisbrick and Bickerstaffe earmarked as suitable locations for Traveller sites

From the Ormskirk and Skelmersdale Advertiser

THREE possible sites to accommodate Gypsies and Travellers are being investigated.

The move follows last week’s appeal by the council, and the locations in question have been suggested by landowners as being suitable.

The national planning policy compels the council to provide enough sites for Gypsies and Travellers.

All in all the council needs to find 32 pitches for the Travellers and Gypsies across the borough.

The three sites suggested are Jubilee Colliery in Bickerstaffe, Pool Hey Lane in Scarisbrick and Burscough Airfield– which are all on the Green Belt.

The Jubilee Colliery location is proposed to be suitable as a permanent and transit site for Travellers and Gypsies.

The colliery has a large capacity and can accommodate 10 permanent pitches and 10 transit pitches.

Correspondence between the council and the landowners of the colliery suggests the owner is willing for the site to be used by Travellers.

An email from an estate agent representing the landowner to the council states: “Our client is considering alternative uses for the site which could clearly include Gypsy and Traveller sites, but clearly only if the price they were willing to pay met with their aspirations.”

The Pool Hey Lane site in Scarisbrick is proposed to be a permanent Gypsy site.

It is already owned and used by a Gypsy family.

The site of five pitches is currently unauthorised, however, and the landowners wish to make the site legitimate and add more pitches.

Burscough Airfield comprises seven pitches currently being used by travelling show people.

The land is opposite Burscough industrial estate and the landowner is in discussions with the Travellers to allow them to use at least part of the site.

All the sites were discussed in correspondence with the inspector in the Local Plan examination.

However, the council cannot comment at this stage on whether the locations are suitable for Traveller sites as this would pre-determine the work yet to be done in preparing a Provision for Travellers Sites development plan document.

A council spokesman said: “There may be more suitable sites available in the borough that the council is currently unaware of.

“As such, this is the purpose of the Call for Sites, to enable any interested parties or members of the public to put forward suggested sites for the council to consider for this use.”