Travellers’ pitch rejected as council accused of ‘satisfying quotas’

COUNCILLORS HAVE refused an application to set up a travellers’ pitch after residents made more than 200 objections.

Members of Leeds City Council’s North and East Plans Panel yesterday agreed by a majority to reject the proposal for a threegeneration family to live at a site bordering Green Belt land off Hollinhurst in Allerton Bywater.

Coun Mark Dobson (Independent, Garforth and Swillington), who was not on the panel, made a statement of objection.

He said: “I think there’s a need for traveller provision in Leeds and I think the council is in a fix in terms of delivering that. But does that mean that any application of any kind is given the nod through?”

He added that it was an example of a site recommended for approval to “satisfy quotas” the council has to meet in providing space for travellers to live.

Dr Simon Ruston, the traveller family’s agent, told the meeting that the plan represented a “golden opportunity” for the council to meet this need “with no cost to anyone but the applicant”.

But the panel at Leeds Civic Hall rejected calls to allocate the land for a mobile home, two touring caravans and a “day room”.

Its reasons included the plan potentially creating an “over-development” of a small site, it impacting the area’s character and there being a lack of manoeuvring space for vehicles.

Previous attempts to build a home at the site had also been rejected on the ground that it was not in-keeping with the area’s character. Coun Dobson said: “In all honesty if any of you are saying what’s being proposed today is an improvement on a single dwelling – what’s the film called? – you’re in La La Land.”