Fresh appeal for suitable land where travelling family can settle after latest setback
DERBYSHIRE Dales District Council has launched another appeal for land suitable for a family of travellers that wants to settle close to Ashbourne.
The authority is duty bound to provide a permanent site for the travelling community, and it urgently needs to find somewhere for two families it has an obligation for under the Homelessness Act.
Last month the council grudgingly accepted a plot of land in Tansley it had been pinning its hopes on was not suitable, and bosses have now gone back to the drawing board to ask people living in the district to put forward suggestions.
Landowners with suitable plots are also being invited to put forward expressions of interest if they are prepared to either sell or offer up a long lease on a parcel of their land.
Councillors voted at their last meeting to cease the pursuit of Tansley’s Knabhall Lane as a potential location following the outcome of geotechnical and ecology site assessments, which found the land was contaminated and used by a family of badgers.
The council, which has a specific priority in its Corporate Plan to deliver a permanent traveller site, says it would ideally be in the southern area of the district, to suit the needs of the family currently being moved around temporary sites.
The site should be a minimum of 0.3 hectares and the council says it can offer three times agricultural value for the purchase of land. The purchase would be subject to planning consent.
The number of pitches that should be provided within a local authority area is determined through a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment. This requirement is then reflected in that local authority’s Local Plan.
A spokesman for the authority said: “To date the district council has failed to fulfil the requirement in its adopted Local Plan for six pitches by 2019 and one additional pitch for each five-year period after 2019 – a total of nine pitches by 2034.
“In addition to providing temporary encampments for travellers who are passing through the Derbyshire Dales, the district council has a legal duty to the two family groups of gypsies with an accepted local connection to the area. The particular circumstances of these families are such that they wish to access a permanent site within the district on which to live. At the present time no such site is available and as a consequence they also travel around the district, moving from site to site. Because of their circumstances these families’ encampments are often lengthier than those of travellers who are ‘passing through’ and they often occur on land that is administered by the district council.”
The requirements for a permanent site are:
The site could be brownfield land, but open countryside is also acceptable, sometimes referred to as a Rural Exception Site
Ideally, the site should be well screened or capable of being screened, limiting the visibility so caravans or mobile homes are less visible
The site should be close to local amenities. This means reasonably close (usually within three to five miles) to shops, public transport, schools, etc.
The site should have a safe entrance and exit on to the highway
The site should ideally have services provided to it or be able to have them installed. This means mainly electricity, water and sewage
The site should not be in an area prone to flooding
In addition expressions of interest should be made by the landowner or their agent.
The district council says it will commit to undertaking the following:
Respond to all enquiries made by landowners or their agents
Undertake an initial feasibility assessment of the site
Prepare and request pre application advice from the Local Planning Authority
Develop detailed designs for the site and undertake all relevant searches
Undertake consultation on the proposals
Submit a planning application for a permanent or temporary traveller site
Commit to the purchase of the site subject to planning approval
Expressions of interest should be sent to housing@derbyshiredales.gov.uk by June 3, 2022 and ideally include a brief description of the site including how the site meets the requirements set out above, a plan showing the location of the site and contact details for the owner and their agent. Any questions are points for clarification should be sent to housing@derbyshiredales.gov.uk.
The particular circumstances of these families are such that they wish to access a permanent site within the district.
District Council