Kirkby traveller site refused planning permission

An application to change the use of land off Diamond Avenue, creating a 20 pitch caravan site with space for 40 associated vehicles, was refused at Ashfield District Council’s planning meeting on Thursday.

The planning application was referred to the committee by Kirkby councillor Rachel Madden due to the amount of public opposition to the plans.

Among the objections put forward were worries about increases in traffic as inhabitants access the site, the change of land use being out of keeping with the area and disturbance to neighbours.

The application site also sits on Green Belt land.

A number of committee members spoke in support of recommendations to refuse the application but nobody representing the applicant spoke at the meeting.

Coun Madden said that the development would impact on peoples’ quality of life and she had ‘considerable concerns’ about it.

Councillors unanimously voted to refuse the application.

The reasons for this were that the proposal ‘does not constitute appropriate development in the Green Belt and would adversely affect the purpose of the Green Belt’ and that it would result in disturbance to neighbouring properties to the detriment of their residential amenity.

It was also refused on highways grounds due to the ‘substandard visibility’ of the access road and because it is too narrow without passing bays and a footpath.