Chelmsford Borough councillors are poised to turn down plans to build a privately-owned travellers' plotland site at East Hanningfield on the advice of planning officers.
The officers will recommend outright rejection of the bid to turn 1.6 hectares of agricultural land off Back Lane into nine hardstandings for 27 mobile homes to Planning committee members meeting on Tuesday.
They claim the scheme is 'inappropriate' and did not comply with the Local Plan, giving three key reasons for refusal.
1, It detracted from the countryside's character and appearance.
2, The proposed access to Back Lane would be detrimental to highway safety.
3, Nature conservation issues were not addressed and the proposal was considered potentially harmful to habitat.
There has been fierce local opposition to the change-of-use application submitted by Smart Planning Ltd, of Ongar, whch claim that the legitimate and urgent needs of the travelling community for official sites are not being meet in local plans.
Three hundred residents recently met at the Village Hall to voice their concerns to parish councillors and further protest meetings are planned under the banner of the East Hanningfield Action Group (EHAG) if councillors voted against recommendations.
Published Thursday July 8, 2004
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