Joy as land removed from Traveller plan

Sep 5 2008 by Paul Mannion, Chester Chronicle

FRODSHAM residents are celebrating after council planners removed land earmarked for a travellers site.

Following the online consultation, criticised by homeowners and councillors, Vale Royal Borough Council announced part of the land identified at Ship Street, Frodsham, will be removed from the list of prospective sites.

Vale Royal chief planner Richard Ellison said: “We have recommended to the executive group that part of the Ship Street site be removed.

“There are two reasons. Firstly Mr Quarterman has said he is not interested. We have always said that if we were to contemplate acquisition it would always be done by arrangement and he has indicated that this would not happen.

“Also further research with the consultants has indicated there are a number of services and utilities which, while not completely precluding it, would make it difficult.”

Fields adjacent to Mr Quarterman’s land owned by the Wooley family will still be subject to any consultation.

Chairman of the North Frodsham Residents Association and Frodsham Cllr Frank Pennington said: “I am over the moon. It is literally half the battle. We will now battle on to remove the other part as well.”

Lead Cllr for community safeguards, Cllr John Turnbull, said: “We have received a large number of responses, which will help to inform the decision-making process. In the next few weeks we will be publicising the dates, times and locations of exhibitions in the areas of the identified sites. Everyone who attends will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide their views to the officers.”

Vale Royal Borough Council claim they have received hundreds of responses to a public consultation on the potential location of Gypsy and Traveller sites in the borough.

Other changes include a new, council-owned, site at Saxons Lane, Northwich, being added to the locations.

The deadline for the public consultation is Friday, October 17. For more information visit www.valeroyal.gov.uk, e-mail planning@valeroyal.gov.uk or phone 01606 867770.