Consultation starts on legal gypsy sites bid (From This Is Local London)

Wycombe District Council consultation starts on legal gypsy sites bid

1:03pm Friday 18th December 2009 in News By Oliver Evans

A CONSULTATION has been launched on a controversial bid to find land for gypsies and travellers.

Wycombe District Council is asking people about eight sites in the High Wycombe, Tylers Green, Princes Risborough and Stokenchurch areas.

If approved then planning permission would have to be given for use as gypsy or travellers sites.

Bosses hope this will deter illegal encampments as they will have a place to go. The Government has demanded all councils find sites.

But the plans have caused concern as they are mostly in rural communities, some of which are affected by illegal camps (see links, bottom of story).

The council has also been slammed for saying it could force landowners to sell it land using taxpayers’ cash. It gave £17,000 to consultants to find the sites.

An official consultation launched this week with an online questionnaire (see link, bottom of story).

Councillor Jean Teesdale, cabinet member for planning and sustainability, said: “We want to make sure that any sites we plan for are in the most suitable and sustainable locations for both the gypsy and travelling community and for local residents.”

It lists “possible permanent sites” for gypsies or travellers “in the shorter-term” as one to five caravans pitches at The Willows, Marsh Lane, Bishopstone and six to 15 at Dry Banks, Opposite Kiln Farm, Oxford Road, Stokenchurch.

Residents are asked if they have “any alternative/additional site suggestions”.

It says “possible permanent sites” for travelling showpeople as land next to Pettigrove, Lower Icknield Way, Longwick and Dry Banks, Stokenchurch again.

And there are a further fives “identified as worthy of further investigation if identified site constraints can be overcome”.

These are:

• Park Mill Farm, Princes Risborough, one to 12 pitches.

• Former BOCM site, near Stoke Mandeville, one to 12 pitches.

• Abbey Barn North, High Wycombe, one to five pitches.

• Storage Site, Oxford Road, Stokenchurch, one to five pitches.

• Ashwells, Tylers Green, one to 12 pitches.

It asks whether residents agree with criteria for assessing sites, including use of protected Green Belt land, road access, “impact on residential amenity” and noise.