Travellers told they can stay
6:10pm Wednesday 18th January 2012 in
TRAVELLERS who moved illegally on to land in Cricklade nearly three years ago have been told they can stay.
Wiltshrie Council has granted permanent permission for 14 residential Gypsy pitches at Calcutt.
The travellers originally moved on to the site in May 2009, but in June 2010 were granted temporary permission to stay until 2012.
Now, the council has granted permission, despite Cricklade Town Council opposing the plans over concerns about the possible over-supply of sites in north Wiltshire.
The permission was granted on condition that a flood evacuation plan and a landscaping scheme are submitted within three months.
A Cricklade Town Council spokesman said: “The draft Wiltshire Core Strategy has just been published for consultation and suggests the requirements in North Wiltshire may already have been met.
“While the Core Strategy is still in draft form it would seem inappropriate to remove the planning condition as requested.
“Cricklade Town Council therefore objects to this application due to the possible over-supply of sites in North Wiltshire.”
However, resident John Woodley, who lives nearby, wrote to the council in support of the travellers.
He said: “My wife and I were concerned to learn that the new neighbours were ‘travellers’, of whom we had heard disturbing tales.
“However, we were delighted to find our fears to be totally unfounded.
“There is never any disturbing and unacceptable noise from their plot, they are a credit to society and should be congratulated for the way they conduct themselves.”
Planning permission conditions also specify that there will be no commercial activity or use, including the storage of materials and waste, shall be carried out on the siteand the site shall not be permanently occupied by persons other than Gypsies and travellers.”
Nearly £3.5m of Government funding will be spent on creating 20 new pitches and improving 40 existing pitches in the county in the next three years.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Travellers told they can stay (From This Is Wiltshire)
