Councillors vote in favour of traveller site

East Devon District Council's planning committee said Ash Piggery in the Tithebarn area of Exeter was a suitable site for a Gypsy and traveller site

Councillors have voted in favour of allocating land in East Devon as a Gypsy and traveller site.

The Strategic Planning Committee at East Devon District Council said the land at Ash Piggery, in the Tithebarn area of Exeter, could accommodate about 15 Gypsy and traveller plots.

The authority said the decision was made on Monday as part of its draft local plan which outlines developments up until 2040.

Currently there is no formal planning application for the site.

'Treating community inequitably'

Despite objections, the planning committee said the authority needed to show it was "meeting the needs of Gypsies and travellers".

Objectors quoted the site's proximity to the M5 and railway line, and suggested the location could be "detrimental", said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Angie Hurran, chief officer at Broadclyst Parish Council, said the site had been deemed unsuitable previously for typical residential development due to noise levels.

She said the authority risked "treating this community inequitably".

'Short-term needs'

Strategic Planning Committee chair, Todd Olive, dismissed concerns about noise given existing developments near the railway line and M5.

Assistant director of planning strategy, Ed Freeman, said while other sites had been identified such as in the Cranbrook expansion area, this site would help meet short-term needs.

He said: “What makes me nervous is that those options are some years away and we need to show we are phasing provision over the period of the local plan.

“This site helps meet short-term need, and while we can make our case that we are meeting the needs without it, we have a much stronger case with this site in the mix.”