Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Development Plan Document

Nothing chosen

Site Allocations: C45 (021) LPR (022) LPR (023) Clause 80 states: ‘Generally it is the preference of both the travelling and settled communities to have sites located close to but not within existing settlements.’ Clause 66 states: ‘The sites that have been submitted to the council for consideration for future accommodation provision are…. not within existing settlements.’ This is plainly not correct for these 3 sites. These site allocations are clearly in the middle of an ancient Wealden farmsteads hamlet, with listed 16th century Elderden Farmhouse and cottage 200m to the east, 15th century listed Rabbit’s Cross Farmhouse 50m to west and 17th century Little Rabbit’s Cross Farmhouse and Little Rabbits Cross Barn directly adjacent to mobile homes already granted permission by MBC. There are two more households adjacent to these sites on Elderden Farm drive. These households are already outnumbered by G&T sites. This was a situation that a planning inspector warned against last year when just one extra pitch was allowed on appeal. It must be obvious to everyone, including MBC planning committee that these further proposed allocations allowing 22 more pitches are grossly unfair to the settled community. Site LPR (022) On 6 January 2025, the neighbours were confronted by a team of men and machines destroying the hedge which lines their private drive, in order to create an unauthorised gypsy site. The neighbours bravely tried to prevent this extremely unpleasant attack but were unable to keep a night and day vigil. This is an important and ancient hedge as shown by Ecology and Land Management in October 2022 (see Planning Reference 22/501658, Pegasus comment, appendix 2) The occupants of the site do not own the hedgerow. It is an agricultural hedge which I have maintained as part of Elderden Farm since 1981. If I had destroyed this hedge there would be little doubt that I would have been prosecuted under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997 and would have expected a fine of up to £5000. The destruction of this hedge was a criminal act. However, the occupants of this site have been rewarded by this criminal act permission for 4 sites. This has caused enormous anxiety to the settled neighbours and has allowed the site occupant to use this private drive with no obligation to help maintain it. The site occupant has therefore obtained a large financial gain at the expense of their settled community neighbours. This MBC G&T and Showpeople development plant is clearly not fit for purpose, as it further zones Chart Hill Road for GT&TS development at an accelerated rate. The settled community have already suffered grave injustice, and are now being threatened with further disruption and adverse effects on their quality of life. It is close to destroying a once pleasant medieval rural landscape close to the River Beult SSSI by turning it into an irregular shanty town. At what point will MBC question the need for ever-increasing G&T site numbers? Continually satisfying the demand for them appears to be stimulating further demand.