Issue - meetings

This report provides an update on the preparation of the Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations DPD and sets out the next steps

Judith Chubb (Chair, Stanton Drew Parish Council) in a statement [a copy of which is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 14 and on the Council’s website] spoke of the dismay amongst her parishioners over the lack of progress on the DPD and the perceived mishandling of the two planning applications and urged the Cabinet to resolve the numerous issues.

Simon Whittle (Stanton Wick Action Group) in a statement [a copy of which is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 15 and on the Council’s website] asked for all references to the Stanton Wick site to be removed from all documentation and that the Cabinet’s decision taken in September 2012 to remove Stanton Wick from the list of sites would not be reversed under any circumstances.

Sue Osborne (Stanton Wick Action Group) in a statement [a copy of which is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 16 and on the Council’s website] asked why no progress had been made in developing the Bristol Road site as agreed by Cabinet in September 2012 which she felt was leaving the Council vulnerable to inappropriate planning applications.

Karen Abolkheir (Stanton Wick Action Group) in a statement [a copy of which is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 17 and on the Council’s website] said she believed that the pursuit of a site at Stanton Wick was highly inappropriate.  She felt that the delays had caused stress and uncertainty to the local community.

Clarke Osborne (Chair, Stanton Wick Action Group) in a statement [a copy of which is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 18 and on the Council’s website] highlighted failings in the progress of the DPD and in the way planning applications had been handled.  He regretted the resulting estrangement of settled and travelling communities.

Chris Ree (Stanton Wick Action Group) in a statement [a copy of which is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 19 and on the Council’s website] felt that the reviewed site assessment criteria document was too brief.  He regretted that the scoring matrix had been abandoned in favour of a new process.  The progress made since September 2012 had been unsatisfactory.

Phil Townshend read a statement on behalf of Tony Heaford (Chair of Publow with Pensford Parish Council) [a copy of which is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 20 and on the Council’s website] in which he said that the process had been badly managed and had distressed the local community.  He asked for care to be taken in dealing with the major planning application at Stanton Wick.

Councillor Geoff Ward said in an ad hoc statement that this had now become extremely urgent because of the need to agree the Core Strategy.

Peter Duppa-Miller (Secretary, Local Councils Association) in an ad hoc statement [a copy of which is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 21 and on the Council’s website] urged the Cabinet to finalise the assessment of the sites as soon as possible to remove the uncertainty being experienced by the settled communities.  He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23