Traveller site plan in Yardley Gobion refused planning permission

The application to change land to the east of Northampton Road in Yardley Gobion was refused following advice from officers at South Northamptonshire Council.

The scheme proposed to pitch a ‘gypsy or traveller site’ with one mobile home, one touring caravan and the erection of one dayroom per pitch on the vacant grownover site, which is accessed by a long driveway from the A508.

The latest application came after a similar scheme was refused in July 2017, while in April this year the council obtained a High Court Injunction to prevent any unauthorised development related to the siting of caravans for residential purposes together with any associated development. Councillors were told that the injunction ‘remains effective and the owner of the site has complied with its requirements’.

But now in the guise of a planning application, the plans have hit a further snag after the committee’s decision to refuse the scheme.

The parish council had objected on the grounds that the proposal is outside the village confines, that there was ‘a lack of proven need for the pitches’ and the site is within an unsuitable location.

And planning officers concluded: “The proposal fails to comply with the relevant Development Plan policies because of the lack of established need; highway safety and sustainability issues; impact on the Special Landscape Area; impact on the residential amenity of the future occupants; and potential effect on ecology. The special needs of the applicant do not outweigh this conflict and the harm caused, and therefore permission should be refused.”