An appeal has been launched over Wiltshire Council’s refusal to grant planning permission for a private traveller site on land north of the M4 motorway near Chippenham. 

The site is near the small village of Littleton Drew, and about a mile and a half east of Burton.

The applicant and landowner, Mr E Sykes, was seeking a change of use of the land that would see it become a “private traveller site” with two pitches, space for a touring caravan, mobile home and dayroom.

The proposal dates back to March 2023, but a similar application for the same site was also refused in May 2022.

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According to the planning officer's report, the applicant had already begun work at this point.

It states: “As noted in the case officer’s report for the previously refused application, as well as from both representations submitted by the public pursuant to this application and a case officer site visit, the works for which permission is being sought have already commenced.

“The application is therefore retrospective in nature (despite no such reference in the description of development).”

140 letters of objection were sent to Wiltshire Council for the most recent application, concerning issues such as the loss of agricultural land and the visual impact.

Acton Turville, Badminton, and Grittleton Parish Councils also objected to the proposal.

Wiltshire Council refused the application due to insufficient information as to whether the site could be supplied with essential services, unacceptable living conditions for the occupants due to the noise impact of the M4, as well as insufficient information on the ecological impact of the development, including on trees.

An appeal has now been launched against this refusal.

Ruston Planning, an independent planning consultancy specialising in Gypsy and traveller work, prepared a statement of the case on behalf of Mr E Sykes.

It argues that these issues have been resolved and that significant weight should be given to the identified unmet need for Gypsy and traveller sites in Wiltshire.

It notes that the appellant and his family have Gypsy status, are identified as ethnic Romany Gypsies, and have no other location to move to. 

It also states that the children's best interests should be a primary consideration.

The hearing date and inspector for the appeal are yet to be confirmed.