Traveller site refused for countryside area in Lakenheath

An application for a six-caravan Traveller site has been refused.

A Lakenheath field near Sherper’s Corner off Highbridge Gravel Drove will not be opened for Travellers to live on after West Suffolk Council turned down the application last Wednesday.

The council’s decision was down to uncertainty over whether it would be Travellers using the site and if the approval would meet a need, alongside risks of flooding and harming the countryside landscape.

The decision notice said: “Insufficient information has been provided to demonstrate that all the intended occupants of the proposed pitches would comply with the definition of a Gypsy or Traveller.

“Insufficient information has also been given regarding the extent to which the families with nomadic habits of life have previously travelled and how and under what circumstances the families intend on living a nomadic habit of life in the future.”

The definition of Traveller referred to is in the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (2015).

The application by John Murkin was for 0.55 hectares of countryside land to be turned into a Gypsy and Traveller site with six static caravan pitches and dayrooms.

Agent Kevin Watts explained the families bought the site to have a permanent location while their children go to school.

Objections were made to the application by the parish council, Environment Agency and Place Services – which works with the council on landscape issues.

A statement by the parish council said: “The application is for an unsightly, high-fenced enclosure – immediately adjacent to a settlement area and very visible and very audible from many houses.”

The council said it thought there was a lack of need, and approval could cause traffic problems.

Three objections were received by nearby properties, citing noise and light problems alongside the impact on the landscape.

However, West Suffolk Council’s strategy and enabling officer in the strategic housing team supported the application, explaining there was emerging evidence from the Gypsy and Traveller Needs Assessment that more Traveller pitches are needed in West Suffolk.