Villagers see red over caravan site

Charing residents have come out in force against an application for planning permission on a local traveller site.

Brockton Farm Paddock, in Egerton Road, has been home to a number of traveller families for more than 10 years.

A number of applications have been rejected for the site but temporary permission was granted for the families to stay there in 2011.

Permission expired in 2014, when the group lodged another full planning application to stay on the site.

The application requests permission for six cars, and four mobile homes.

The site is now home to 15 people, including the landowners Mr Dunn and Mrs Smith, their three children and their partners, their nephew and his partner, plus five children under 10.

The agent, WS Planning and Architecture, states Mr Dunn had been seriously ill following a heart attack in 2013.

They said: “He had a quadruple heart bypass operation and needs to have a settled base to ensure he stays in good health.”

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) was finally expected to make a decision at a planning meeting last night (Wednesday) – after the Express went to press.

Officers have recommended permitting the application, subject to conditions, including only allowing the families to stay on the site for three years.

But objections from villagers flooded in, with people slamming the site as a “blot on the landscape”.

One resident, Vanessa Smith, said residents felt ignored and disregarded.

She wrote: “There is a history of constant breaches of planning rules on this site, which represents considerable unfairness to the local people and has resulted in a negative impact, both visually and environmentally.

“Failure by ABC not to take enforcement action over the years has allowed this site to grow, and for the travellers to breach planning law and to expand. This is not acceptable.”

Another resident, Arthur Hughes, wrote: “This last-minute smoke and mirrors act should not divert ABC from the original intention to prevent and remove all and any development at this site.”

Ne i g h b o u r L e i g h - Anne McCague warned: “Granting this application would be rewarding blatant breaches of planning law and set a precedent for other illegal siting of static caravans in the area and beyond.”

For the planning meeting decsion see next week’s paper

Brockton Farm Paddock, in Charing