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05
Apr
Council refuses plan for gypsy-traveller site near Starbeck
North Yorkshire Council has refused a plan for a gypsy-traveller site near Starbeck
Colchester-based Libre Solutions applied for retrospective permission to change the use of land at Oak Stables on Forest Moor Road for what it described in planning documents as a gypsy-traveller site with pitches for three touring caravans.
The proposal saw 34 letters of objection submitted to the authority.
In documents submitted to the council, the developer said the site was located within the green belt but had previously been developed and could therefore be categorised as “grey belt”.
It added that there was a need for accommodation for travellers within the Harrogate district.
The developer said:
There is an identified need for gypsy, traveller, and travelling showpeople accommodation in the area, and the proposals are considered to comply with all relevant national and local planning policy, as such it is requested that the Local Planning Authority support the application.
However, Trevor Watson, assistant director of planning at the council, said the scheme was “unauthorised” and “inappropriate”.
In a decision notice, Mr Watson said the site was also within the green belt despite the developer’s claim that it would classify as “grey belt”.
He said:
This proposed change of use of the land to a gypsy-traveller site is an inappropriate form of development within the Green Belt, which by definition is harmful to the Green Belt and would conflict with the purposes of including land within the green belt.
The current use of the application site is unauthorised, therefore the site is not considered previously developed land and therefore not classed as grey belt land.
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