Derbyshire Dales: Traveller site approved at woodland spot

The site is located on the A6, near Cromford

Plans to turn a disused woodland plot into a permanent traveller site have been approved.

Derbyshire Dales District Council backed the plans which are set for a site known as The Woodyard on the A6, near Cromford.

The decision came 15 months after identical plans were rejected by the council, under a different administration.

Councillors said the plot was more sustainable than other available sites.

Plans for a traveller site on the disputed plot have been the subject of a "long-standing saga" according to John Youatt, who spoke at a planning committee meeting on Tuesday on behalf of the owners of The Woodyard.

His plea for the plans to be approved were backed by Dr Siobhan Spencer, from the Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group, who argued the site was more sustainable that two other potential locations, near Tansley and Carsington Water.

The council spent thousands of pounds vetting the two sites to see if either could help the authority find the suitable land for needed permanent traveller sites, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, Stephen Walton, speaking against the plans, said the site was unsuitable and that any occupier was at risk from the A6, the railway and River Derwent.

While debating the plans, councillor Dermot Murphy, said: "We have been asking for years for sites and we have got one here that ticks all the boxes. It is time to create potential."

All but one councillor on the planning committee voted to approve the application.