Plans for single pitch for Gypsy caravans rejected after ‘countryside urbanization’ concerns

The land scheme opposite Coppice Farm in Bings Heath would have seen the creation of a residential caravan site including a static caravan pitch, with two parking spaces. Also included in the development were a service building, a batch sewage treatment plant and improvements to existing accesses.

The applicant, Mr. J Evans, argued that the triangular plot was an unexpected site that “forms a sustainable development pattern”, adding that the plan would contribute to the local need for commuter plots.

However, Shropshire Council said the plan would be an “isolated development in open countryside” and added that they believed the 1.8m high gates and tarmac surface proposed as part of the plan would be “alien additions at odds with the predominant character of the area”. .

“The applicant’s family is Gypsy Roma and has a strong local connection to Shawbury and the surrounding area,” said a supporting planning statement submitted with the proposal.

“It is understood that Shropshire Council maintains a waiting list for its fields to look to manage allocations and the Gypsy Liaison team can clarify the current situation in terms of vacancies and potentially suitability.

“It is clear that there is a substantial unmet need for Roma sites in the county, an extreme shortage of alternative sites to meet the identified need and, the Council will not be able to identify a five-year supply of deliverable land for Roma sites.

“The site is not isolated and is within a sporadic property development in the settlement of Bings Heath, which is bounded by a country road linking the local villages and the A53 Shawbury Road,” he added.

However, council planning officers disagreed, saying the site was in open countryside and adding that not enough evidence had been submitted to support the applicants’ local connections to the area

“The nearest settlement is the village of Hadnall, located approximately 4 km. Shawbury is about 4.8 kilometers away and the north end of Shrewsbury is 5km,” the officer’s report said.

“As such, the site is neither within nor adjacent to settlement boundaries and is clearly divorced from any recognizable settlement.

“The proposed gates together with a 1.8m high board fence and an asphalt surface would have the effect of urbanizing the area, appearing as extraneous additions and totally at odds with the prevailing character of the surrounding town”.

The proposal had attracted a total of eight public comments; six objections and two in support of the proposals. The application was refused by Shropshire Council’s planning department on Thursday 17 October.