MP David Mowat has voiced his concerns over a controversial plans to create a site for “travelling showpeople” on Green Belt land at Warrington.
The Warrington South MP (pictured) says the proposals at Stretton are entirely at odds with the original intention of designating this area of the borough as Green Belt.
An application has been made to the borough council for permission to construct storage and parking on a site just north of Hall Lane – just south of Junction 10 on the M56.
The applicants claim that as travelling showpeople, there are “special circumstances” which override the council’s obligation to protect Green Belt land.
Mr Mowat said: “The application that has been submitted is completely at odds with the culture and tradition of this small, rural community.
“Green Belt is Green Belt for a reason and the developers have not convinced me that there are any ‘special circumstances’ which would justify such an inappropriate development.
“There are already sites in Warrington for travellers and travelling showpeople so there is no need to build on the Green Belt.
“I have been working closely with the borough council, Stretton Parish Council and Hatton, Stretton and Walton councillor Paul Kennedy in order to ensure that everything is being done to prevent the application from being approved.”
2 Comments
I never knew there were already sites in Warrington for ‘travelling showpeople’. I knew there were Gypsy/traveller ones but not ‘showpeople ones’. I haven’t read the planning application yet (maybe I should have before posting) but I have read the following which maybe of interest to others … It is the PLANNING FOR TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE – Department for Communities and Local Government Circular 04/2007. It’s a bit of an eye opener and I can see why our local MP is voicing his concerns !!
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/circulartravellingshowpeople.pdf
Well Dizzy, that’s certainly the type of document that will break up Cameron’s rural electoral strongholds!
The problem with Warrington is that it is an easy target for opportunist travellers. This is due to the dithering over providing enough designated areas for traveller’s sites. Plus of course the planning officers extremely varied and often contradictory interpretations of what constitutes, “special circumstances”, also, their lack of knowledge re the Human Rights Act. You cannot use this act to grant / ensure the human rights of anyone if in doing so you are denying the human rights of another / others. In this case the rural community has as much right to protection of their rural cultural heritage as the travelling showpeople have of their cultural heritage. As it is the traveller’s historic custom to travel from area to area and it is the variety and non-permanence of their abode which is key to their culture any non-permanent site should suffice. Their need for this particular site therefore should not be regarded as of more importance to the resident rural community to whom the permanence and historic continuity of their landscape is absolutely vital to their cultural heritage. If there are any “special circumstances ” to consider in this case they should be with regard to the protection of the cultural heritage of the rural community. As Mr Mowat has pointed out there is already provision for travelling showpeople in Warrington. There is a site in the Dallam Lane area, but this area is destined to be developed. Is it possible that due to this an alternative site needs to be found? Providing alternative sites for travellers to enable easy progress for developers couldn’t possibly be regarded as “special circumstances” could it?????