Caravan site plans for land next to rare salt marsh attracting objections in Staffordshire

Stafford Borough Council refused permission for change of use of the land opposite Beech Tree Farm at London Road, Pasturefields, Staffordshire, last November.

Planners said the proposals which would have involved the siting of three mobile homes, three static caravans and three amenity blocks on the land near Hixon, would be “visually intrusive and at odds with the open rural character of the area.”

And said the development would be detrimental to the Trent and Mersey Canal Conservation Area.

A fresh application has now been submitted to the borough council, proposing change of use of the land to a residential caravan site for three gypsy families.

A new planning statement said: “The caravan site has been set back away from both the A51 to the north and the canal to the south.

"Extensive landscaping, in the form of new hedgerows and woodland planting, would be carried out along the western and southern boundaries to screen the proposed development from public vantage points and help assimilate the caravan site into its semi-rural surroundings.”

The statement said: “They have purchased the application site to make a caravan site of their own, where they live together as an extended family group for mutual help and support. (Applicant) John Smith is outgrowing the site where he currently lives in Stafford and needs a site where he can live with other members of his extended family.

“John Smith makes his living by carrying out property maintenance and repair work. He also regularly attends horse fairs and religious conventions when he is travelling during the summer for work.

“All three families are gypsies by ethnicity and travel for at least part of the year for an economic purpose.

"As one would expect, the amount of travelling they can do is restricted by the number of school-age children and infants, who need a settled base for access to healthcare and regular schooling.”

Ward councillor Brendan McKeown has called the application in so that the planning committee can consider “the impact of the proposal on the Pasturefields SSSI, adjacent canal conservation area, A51 street scene and highway safety.”

Hixon Parish Council has objected to the plans for reasons including visual intrusion, lack of waste removal provision, insufficient drainage system and road safety on the A51.

A Shirleywich resident who raised concerns about noise and rural location said: “We don’t want gypsy caravans in such close proximity, having seen the mess they often leave. It will spoil the landscape.”