Cheshire East Council is to sell off land it owns in Crewe so it can be used for a permanent residential Gypsy and Traveller site, writes Belinda Ryan.
The land at Coppenhall Moss was allocated in the council’s site allocations and development policies document (SADPD) for seven permanent Gypsy and Traveller pitches.
Councillors this week decided to go ahead with a conditional sale of the site.
The need for adequate pitches was established through the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment which identified a requirement for five to 10 transit pitches.
A transit site is currently being developed in Middlewich to meet this need – 32 permanent pitches for Gypsies and Travellers and five plots for travelling show people.
The Crewe site will still have to go through the usual planning processes once it is sold off.
Cheshire East head of housing Karen Carsberg told the economy and growth committee: “Undertaking a conditional sale [of the Coppenhall Moss land] would be the quickest route to development and would enable the council to determine the end use for the site without undertaking a resource-intensive procurement exercise or having to borrow capital funding to enable development.
“The sale of the site would demonstrate that the site is deliverable and reduce the risk of other sites being brought forward through the planning process which are not currently allocated sites.”
Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Con) said, when the council is preparing local plans, Gypsy and Traveller sites always raise local interest.
She said: “I think it’s really important that, as we start delivering these sites, we are very clear about them, very clear about why they’re needed, and we do actually offer that respect and recognition of the need for these sites for this particular group of people.
“It’s really important that they are in the right place, that they are actually meeting the needs of the travelling community, but that where we do have sites available, that we do try and progress them as quickly as possible.”
A permanent site should mean paying council tax and all amenities, “traveller’s” don’t need a permanent site.
Any cost to the travelling community or are they exempt from the Council tax that I have to pay,water rates or any other bills that the residents of this area are expected to pay regardless of the quality of service.
Probably not
Rather than showing ‘’respect and recognition’ to travellers, how about extending the same courtesy to those of us who pay council tax for an ever decreasing quality of service.?
Pathetic. Suddenly spending a chunk of (our) money on a car park nobody wants makes a load of sense!!
I’m prepared to wager one months council tax that planning permission doesn’t get turned down!
I wonder if Cllr Janet Clowes would be as positive if the site chosen was in Wybunbury. I won’t bother taking votes. 🤪
Do hope then, if it is permanent housing land for ‘travellers’, then I hope they pay full rates, as we permanent home dwellers do.
Yes it is all good but we soon change our minds if it is near our homes I certainly would not want
It anywhere near me, we live in a pc world where we are not allowed to say the trouble they cause, unfortunately they do and whoever disagrees should have them for neighbours bet they are not near any councillors homes😂
Good. They need a place to live safely. It should stop them parking on football pitches and council parks if they have a safe place to go
Councils should not be allowed to give planning permission on their own land.
They are hardly going to refuse it are they?
Kev read the article, its the cheapest option, I dare say anywhere is better than nowhere, its not as if they have a mortgage to pay, or they need to turn over soil themselves!
“It’s really important that they are in the right place, that they are actually meeting the needs of the travelling community” So, this is close to the home of who wrote this garbage? It has no major road link, so why do3es it suit the needs of the travellers?