Expansion of Standerwick travellers' site in Somerset approved

The site is close to the A36 between Frome and Bath

Councillors in Somerset have approved plans to expand a Travellers' site.

Planning permission was granted for a traveller's pitch at Standerwick near the Somerset-Wiltshire border in 2021.

A further application was then made to Mendip District Council to expand the site by adding two mobile homes, two touring caravans and two day rooms.

Locals objected, saying travellers could outnumber permanent residents, which they said is against national planning policy.

The site is located on the B3099 Marsh Road in the hamlet of Standerwick, a short distance from the Somerset-Wiltshire border.

The application came from husband and wife Charlie and Clona Ward

A group of local residents issued a statement to the council objecting to the decision, which will allow the site to double in size.

The statement said the planning permission would lead to a high concentration of travellers' pitched in a small, sparsely-populated area, which is discouraged by national planning policy, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The resident's statement said their postcode included 12 settled properties and "at least" 14 travellers' pitches at two different sites.

"The 11 pitches located at Moors Barn (five of them non-approved) were not included in the planning officer's count of nearby travellers' sites, despite being clearly visible from the permanent dwellings," the statement added.

"Traveller pitches therefore now greatly exceed permanent dwellings in this very small area, in clear breach of government planning policy.

"This alone should lead to the refusal for all further traveller sites in this postcode, including retrospective applications."

Joint applicant Charlie Ward issued a statement in response, highlighting the importance of the expansion to his family.

His statement said: "I am 100 per cent a member of the traveller community, and rightly proud of my roots. I have family of school age and other family members with health issues - this extension is necessary."

Councillor Francis Hayden said the residents "seemed to have legitimate concerns" regarding the number of sites in the area, but said this was a matter for the council's enforcement team.

'Housing crisis'

Councillor Nick Cottle asked for the Marsh Road site to be carefully monitored, citing past experience in his own ward of Glastonbury St. Edmund's.

"I'd want an assurance that we are keeping an eye on this site to make sure it doesn't grow," he said.

He said one site in his ward, at Fourways "originally started with one family and it's now huge."

Councillor Lucie Taylor-Hood pointed to the current housing crisis as a reason to approve the application.

She added "In Glastonbury, there is a large amount of people living in vans and caravans because they can't afford rents and there's no chance of them ever getting a mortgage."