Green light for shipping container installation at Baggeridge Country Park
A woodland-based support service for children and young people has been granted permission to station a shipping container in a South Staffordshire park.
Breathing Space Therapeutic Services provides one-to-one support and part-time intervention to children and young people at risk of being excluded from education or society due to emotional or mental health issues, as well as a school holiday programme for families with young children with behavioural challenges.
South Staffordshire Council’s planning committee unanimously approved an application from the community interest company to install a metal storage container in Baggeridge Country Park, where it is based, for a three-year period.
The container will be located on an area to the west of the car park and craft village constructed as part of the redevelopment of the Baggeridge Brickworks site, surrounded by woodland.
The site is in the green belt, where the proposal would be considered inappropriate development.
But council officers considered there were very special circumstances that outweighed potential harm and recommended the application for approval ahead of the meeting.
A report to the planning committee said: “South Staffordshire’s Spatial Strategy supports the improvement of services and facilities for children and young people. The council will support proposals and initiatives to improve access to services for children and young people and the provision, improvement and enhancement of facilities for children’s play and youth development.
“The proposal will provide an opportunity for vulnerable people to use the park to improve and develop their mental wellbeing.”
