Council defends decision on traveller sites

The car park in Rowsley is of particular concern to Derbyshire County Council if planning permission is granted for traveller families to reside there

Derbyshire Dales District Council has defended its plans to temporarily turn over four sites in the area to traveller families after "strong objection" from the county council.

The authority has urged Derbyshire County Council to "respect the democratic process".

And it said the county council was partially responsible for past failures to address the problem after the authority urged the Dales to rethink the plans.

Dales councillors agreed in principle to allocate the sites to traveller families earlier this month.

'Surprised and dismayed'

If full planning permission is granted, the four locations - in Rowsley, Matlock, Matlock and Middleton by Wirksworth - will be given on a two-year basis until a permanent site can be agreed on.

Particular concerns were raised by the county council about the Rowsley car park, which sits in between Matlock and Bakewell.

Carolyn Renwick, cabinet member for infrastructure and environment, said she was "surprised and dismayed" at the decision.

"It is well used by local people and visitors...I just do not think this is the right place to offer as a traveller's site, and we call on the district council to have another look at their plans.

"We've been working hard to make the White Peak Loop a real attraction for walking, cycling and horse riding, with new sections about to be opened so that people can get from Matlock to Buxton, then across to the High Peak Trail and back to Matlock. This decision does not help our ambitions for this at all."

A district council spokesperson said: "To put the county council's claims about access to the White Peak Loop into context, the car park at Rowsley, when empty, has 29 spaces."

Rowsley, along with the other three potential temporary sites that won approval at a full meeting of the district council last week, will now go through a statutory planning process, during which the county council will be a consultee.

The decades-long search for a permanent site will continue while planning permission is sought for the temporary sites, a process expected to take several months.