Hermitage residents unite to stop gypsy traveller site

A group of Hermitage residents have lodged a lengthy objection to a plan for a gypsy traveller site.

Dozens of them have written to the council on various planning grounds to urge the authority to reject the scheme near Hampstead Norreys.

They say the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) has been disrupted with increased rubbish, with damaged caravan windows caved in.

“I have come across people no longer wishing to walk down the path towards Hampstead Norreys,” said Peter Morgan.

The application site is undeveloped paddock land, situated to the south of the dwelling known as Sandhill.

The application seeks to provide accommodation for five households only, through one mobile home and one touring caravan and one utility building on each pitch proposed for occupation by gypsy/traveller families.

The application therefore seeks consent for the equivalent of five dwellings, and each caravan and dayroom is not a separate unit of accommodation, but a part of the 'residential pitch'.

“The proposed development will cause significant disruption to the local community,” said Tim Murdoch.

“The increased traffic and noise associated with the development will have a negative impact on the quality of life for local residents and immediate neighbours to the site.

“In light of these objections, I urge you to reject the application for the proposed change of use of land for the formation of five gypsy/traveller pitches.

“The negative impact of the development on the environment, wildlife, heritage, and local residents is too great to be overlooked.”

The applicant has submitted a weighty document citing legal precedents for discrimination against the gypsy traveller community, and it reminds the council of its statutory duty to provide pitches.

“The majority of the district is located within the AONB, some 74 per cent, and as such it is inevitable that sites will come forward within the designation area, or indeed within the setting of the AONB, “ it says.

“Given the area of the district within the AONB, it should not prevent development for gypsy and traveller sites.

“Additionally, a large proportion of the district is within the countryside, outside of the settlement boundary limits.

"It is inevitable that sites for gypsies and travellers will be located as such given the increasing costs of land on the edge of settlements which is more often than not reserved to develop housing for the settled population, and rarely affordable by single gypsy/traveller families.

“The location of this site, is considered to be ideal, and it is hoped that the LPA can be supportive of the site and the proposed development.”