Travellers’ site set to expand

A CARAVAN site in Semington has been granted permission to accommodate a potential 12 further caravans, despite strong objections from local people and the parish council.

Greenacres Mobile Park in Semington was recently permitted to expand by 0.6 hectares onto a nearby paddock, to allow for 12 further caravans – six of which are permitted to be static.

Greenacres, on the western boundary of West Wiltshire Crematorium,  is a designated travellers’ site, and has been allowed to grow to provide a settled base for the applicant’s extended family.

Wiltshire Council’s decision, which allows building to begin anytime in the next three years, says that the site can only be occupied by gypsies and travellers.

The official decision said, “Planning permission has only been granted on the basis of a demonstrated unmet need for accommodation for gypsies and travellers and it is therefore necessary to keep the site available to meet that need.”

Other conditions include that there must be no commercial activity undertaken on the land, no vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, and that measures must be taken to protect the character and appearance of the area.

The planning application was approved on Wednesday 22nd April, in spite of a large number of objections from village residents, Semington Parish Council, and West Wiltshire Crematorium.

Many were concerned that the area was being overdeveloped and more caravans would be detrimental to the local community, dangerously impact traffic, and interfere with the crematorium.

One resident, Christine Anderson said, “There are already nine traveller pitches on three plots of land close by Semington village and we, along with many villagers, feel that this is now quite enough.

“In a previous application a planning inspector restricted development and occupancy of the site to the eastern part next to the roundabout, imposing a planning condition to that effect. To allow this new application runs counter to the planning inspector’s decision and his reasoning and, although this is a separate application, nothing at all has changed.

“Another very important point is if the application is allowed and the site extended, the open “buffer zone” between the site and the crematorium will disappear and the site will be right up against the boundary of the beautifully kept gardens and the space where corteges pause on the way into the grounds of the crematorium.

“A gypsy site is not what people want to see when they drive into the grounds of any crematorium and Wiltshire Council will be letting everyone down, themselves included, if this happens.”

Paul Daffurn of West Wiltshire Crematorium said, “The Cremation Act 1902 sets out specific requirements with respect to the location and relationship of a crematorium to residential properties. In particular, the Act requires that there should be a minimum 200 yard separation to protect the amenity of any residential properties, and this criteria is used in the development of all new crematoria. All of the proposed development clearly falls within 200 yards of the crematorium building.

“Although the crematorium building itself is well removed from the boundary, all of the grounds up to the boundary are landscaped memorial gardens, and are regularly visited by mourners attending their dedicated memorials, so it is of prime importance that all of the grounds remain as an area of peace and tranquillity.

“Since the occupation of the current eastern part of the site, the crematorium has regularly experienced some nuisance from a number of uncontrolled dogs which roam in from the existing site, often causing concern and distress to visiting mourners, particularly when the dogs foul in the memorial areas. So it is of concern that the proposed development may result in more dogs, and barking could become more of a disturbance due to the closer proximity of the proposed development to the memorial gardens.”

Semington Parish Council also submitted an objection.

Parish clerk Roger Coleman said, “The proposed development will compromise highway safety – there will be significantly increased traffic moving on/off site and there will be disruption to the flow of existing traffic along the busy A361.

“It is inappropriate development immediately next to the western boundary of the West Wiltshire Crematorium and will result in a loss of privacy, peace for quiet reflection and dignity. It represents overdevelopment and will result in a loss of open countryside.”

Over 50 letters of representation were received by Wiltshire Council, many of which were opposed to the development.

To find out more about the application, plans, and responses, search planning number 14/10797/FUL on www.wiltshire.gov.uk.