Travellers move into Coven Heath

It is arguably the biggest issue affecting South Staffordshire and one that residents fear threatens to wreck its rural charm.

With six gipsy camps being given the go ahead in the past three years, despite widespread objections, and another four in the pipeline, it seems the district's precious green belt land is the top choice for gipsies wanting to lay down roots.

Despite the string of applications for gipsy sites being thrown out by South Staffordshire District Council, the applicants have all managed to secure permission from the Government's Planning Inspectorate on appeal.

Among the applications to be granted on appeal is one put forward by Patrick and Chavelle Dunne for green belt land in Brinsford Bridge, off Stafford Road, Coven Heath.

In 2008, Mr and Mrs Dunne won a six-year battle with the council, which had turned down a planning application to keep their caravans on the land.

The family also won a fight to keep a permanent kitchen, bathroom and dayroom built on the site.

But a latest bid by the Dunnes to expand the site further with four new residential gipsy pitches to allow extended family to live there too failed earlier this month after being turned down by the council.

Despite this, aerial photographs clearly show the top soil on a former field adjacent to the site has been removed and the grass scraped back to reveal a mass of brown land.

It is in stark contrast to previous images taken from the skies showing a healthy green field.

David Patterson, director of legal and licensing at the council, said today: "Agricultural maintenance is allowed, so there has not been any planning breach."

The council will issue a temporary stop notice halting work if any tarmac or hard surface is laid on the field.

Other controversial applications to have been given the go ahead since 2007 include the creation of six pitches in Hospital Lane, Cheslyn Hay, nine pitches in Featherstone's New Road, a further eight pitches at the village's Oak Tree Caravan Park, also in New Road, and another two pitches at Rock Bank, in Brewood Road, Coven.

Another application for the creation of four pitches in Pool House, Old Stafford Road, Slade Heath, also won permission.

Two caravans can be stationed on each pitch. All the applications were granted by the Planning Inspectorate based in Bristol after being refused by the council's regulatory committee.

Another three proposed gipsy sites are currently going through the appeal process after being turned down by council planners, including plans for six pitches at Malthouse Lane in Calf Heath.

In Wombourne angry residents have raised a £6,000 fund to fight plans for an official gipsy pitch in the village.

The controversial plans for the development in Pool House Road, which include two caravans, a communal centre and parking areas, were revived on appeal after being thrown out by the council.

South Staffordshire Council has spent £30,000 in two-and-a-half years fighting appeals by travellers demanding the right to set up home in the green belt, while travellers invading the green belt has cost £100,000 to clean up over three years.