Wyre Forest council chooses potential traveller sites

About 200 people attended a Wyre Forest District Council cabinet meeting on Tuesday

The number of potential new sites earmarked for Gypsies and travellers in an area of Worcetershire has been cut from 15 to seven.

About 200 people heard the decision at a Wyre Forest District Council cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening.

The list includes 65 pitches on seven potential new sites - four in Stourport-on Severn, two in Kidderminster and one in Bewdley.

A public consultation starting in October will last for six weeks.

'Meet demand'

The council said some sites were rejected because they had already been given planning permission for housing while others were partly on greenbelt land.

Council leader John Campion said: "We want to make sure that everybody in society can get along together, so we say we want to provide sites within the district to meet the demand.

"We've established a public meeting per site.

"We'll have an opportunity... towards the end of the year to consider all the facts before coming to any final decisions next year over actual allocated sites."

'State of shock'

In Stourport, the council is proposing to provide 15 pitches at a farm in St John's Road, four at land near Nun's Corner, three at Saiwen and three at The Gable's Yard.

In Kidderminster, the council is also proposing 10 pitches at the former Sion Hill school site and 15 at the Lea Castle hospital site.

The council is also proposing to set up 15 pitches at a site in Stourport Road, Bewdley.

The plans have met opposition from some residents in the district.

Tim Barnes, who lives on Manor Farm, St John's Road, said the pitches would have a "terrible" effect on his family.

He said: "We're still in a state of shock... We're a bit emotional to be honest."