Planning inspector refuses permission for 10 Gypsy and Traveller pitches in East Cambridgeshire

A family has lost its appeal to try and overturn the decision to refuse permission for 10 “much-needed” Gypsy and Traveller homes.

A planning inspector said building the proposed pitches on land off Pools Road, in Wilburton, would harm the “relatively attractive and unspoilt nature of the countryside”.

The inspector upheld East Cambridgeshire District Council’s decision to reject the plans, despite recognising the “substantial unmet need” for pitches in the area.

The planning application had asked for permission for 10 pitches, each including a static caravan and one touring caravan.

Documents said the applicant, A Buckley, had made “extensive searches” for land over six years, and the proposed site was the only one available to them and the extended family.

The plans said the pitches would offer “much needed accommodation”.

The inspector said the 10 pitches would provide “significant benefits” to addressing the “substantial” unmet need for Traveller sites in the district and noted that the personal circumstances of the family weighed “significantly in favour” of the plans, including benefiting the children’s health, welfare and educational needs, by bringing a dispersed extended family together.

However, the inspector said these benefits did not outweigh the harm the development would have on the countryside.

The inspector said: “The proposals would have a particularly harmful effect on views from the public right of way running at an elevated height alongside the rear site boundary.

“From here, as well as approaching from the north along Grunty Fen Road, the 10 pitches and their contents would be very prominent.

“The existing vegetation would not fully screen the pitches, but the hedging around the site might be maintained to soften views.

“The caravan pitches would nevertheless comprise a discordant feature within a surrounding undeveloped area of horse pastures, tree planting and farm land.

“Meeting a need for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation requires an inevitable degree of harm to the character and appearance of the rural landscape.

“However, due to the relatively attractive and unspoilt nature of the countryside along this section of Pools Road, the scale and depth of the incursion into this and the public views available from both the front and rear of the site, the degree of harm attracts substantial weight.”