First travellers pitch approved in North Devon

Fifteen are required in North Devon

A tree surgeon is going to be allowed to live on land near Chittlehamholt as a traveller.

This is the first gypsy and traveller pitch approved by North Devon Council, despite a requirement to provide 15 in its local plan.

There were 35 objections and 15 letters in support of the application by Tommy May to change the use of land at Local Roots Tree Nursery to allow the siting of one caravan as gypsy and travellers’ accommodation.

Planning officers had recommended consent be given as it would “meet an identified need in the district in a location where there was no significant harm to the wider area”.

Mr May is currently living on the 3.5 hectare site with his family, a mile from the village, in a converted coach parked within one of the fields. The land is used largely for his commercial forestry business.

Councillors heard that Mr May was from a Romany Gypsy family and had a long history of travelling for economic purposes and had spent a lot of time in North Devon.

He is seeking a stable place to live so his daughter’s education is not interrupted by being moved on from the side of the road as there is no pitch he can access in North Devon.

He requires space for a residential mobile home and a touring vehicle so he can still travel when needed.

The site would be screened from the public highway, councillors were told.

Some local residents disputed that My May had a nomadic lifestyle as they claim his business had not left the land in the three years since he bought it and he had been living there for that time. They said it sets a precedent for anyone buying a land and putting a caravan on it, it would change the character of the village and the peaceful environment would be lost.

Concerns were also raised by Satterleigh and Warkleigh Parish Council, including noise and disturbance to neighbours and that the site should be subject to greater scrutiny given that it is in the open countryside.

Supporters said by expanding his business, Mr May would continue to contribute to the community’s growth and sustainability and he had worked in the community for 14 years.

The applicant had planted more than 3,000 trees on site, with thousands more in holding, they said.

Devon only has three local authority gypsy or traveller sites and there are no agreed emergency or transit sites in the county. Most traditional stopping places have been blocked off or developed for other purposes, the planning committee heard.

Travellers site in Exeter, leased by Elim Housing, have a waiting list.

Local authorities say is essential for gypsy and traveller families to have an authorised stable base with access for services such as health and education.

“It also provides the security to travel for economic purpose, knowing that there is an authorised base on return,” said the officer.

Small private sites are considered the best option.

“Meeting this need in Devon is important if the number of unauthorised encampments and unauthorised developments are to reduce across the county; at the same time, it allows local planning authorities to fulfil their responsibility to meet the accommodation need alongside the more general housing needs for other communities in Devon.”

The planning committee supported the application.