Anger at gipsy green belt plan for Staffordshire

Caravans have been legally permitted on part of the land in Great Wyrley near Cannock since 2000 under an approved plan for a showmen's winter and summer quarters.

This week, land owner Joseph Jenkins applied to turn the site at the former Kingswood Colliery in Watling Street into a residential caravan site for gipsies and travellers.

The site would provide 14 pitches on the site, which could house up to 28 touring caravans.

The application follows anger from locals after Mr Jenkins installed concrete pads on a field next door on Green Belt land in order to spread out the pitches.

Less than a fortnight ago South Staffordshire Councillor Brian Cox said the authority had won a 'lengthy legal battle' meaning Mr Jenkins would have to adhere to two enforcement notices ordering him to put the land back in its original state.

Today, Tory MP for South Staffordshire Gavin Williamson said: "It is absolutely disgusting, that someone is trying to run roughshod over local opinions.

"A planning inspectorate has made his decision and that is what should and must happen. This individual is totally disregarding planning law.

"This is what makes people incredibly angry when someone is trying to manipulate the system."

Mr Williamson added: "His attitude and approach shows nothing but a lack of respect for local residents and decisions which have been made by the Secretary of State. The council should now get on with enforcing that decision."

Residents in Pool View, who did not wish to be named, contacted the Express & Star after receiving letters informing them about the latest planning application and claimed Mr Jenkins had 'got away with it again'.

But a council spokeswoman said the proposal did not change anything as far as the enforcement notices were concerned and reiterated that officers were attending the site regularly to monitor the situation.

Mr Jenkins' planning agent Philip Brown was unable to respond to the latest concerns but in planning documents submitted with the proposal he stated that using the Green Belt land as amenity space would 'increase the openness of the Green Belt and reduce the encroachment into the countryside'.

He added that the appearance would also be improved by landscaping work.

Mr Brown further said that families on the site, including 16 children and two pregnant women, had no lawful place to go if they were not allowed to stay.

The agent said for that reason, as well as a lack of other gipsy and traveller sites in the area, the plans outweighed any harm to the Green Belt.

Residents have until March 10 to have their say on the proposals.