Traveller site approved after rejection overturned

Wiltshire Council is working to find 128 new pitches and seven new sites in the county by 2038

A four-pitch traveller site can be established after a refusal of planning permission was overturned.

The applicant, John Lee, applied for permission to provide accommodation for a single family, compromising a mobile home, a touring caravan and a day room with a bathroom, kitchen and dining space for four pitches.

The site in Grittenham, near Brinkworth in Wiltshire, originally received 37 objections, as some were concerned it "failed to integrate into its surroundings" due to its distance from local services.

A planning inspector granted Mr Lee's appeal for the site earlier this month and awarded costs.

Wiltshire Council launched a consultation in 2024 to find 128 new pitches and seven new sites for gypsies and travellers in the county by 2038.

Mr Lee's plans, originally submitted in August 2024, sought to redevelop land at Charlie's Place off Sodom Lane, near the M4.

He applied to establish the pitches and a commercial barn measuring 20ft (6m) by 60ft (18m), the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The council's officers recommended granting the planning application, but councillors turned it down.

As well as concerns about its distance from schools and healthcare providers, objections were made on highways and flood risk grounds, the size of the development and the use of hard standing in a rural area.

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Dauntsey Parish Council, Grittenham and Brinkworth Parish Council and Tockenham Parish Council were among those objecting to the plans.