VILLAGERS in Dunham-on-the-Hill have criticised Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) after plans for a Travellers site were approved.
Dunham-on-the-Hill residents have slammed the two-year temporary permission for a site on greenbelt land in Hillcrest, Chester Room, Dunham-on-the-Hill.
On Friday (May 27), emotions ran high, after plans for a further site were unveiled near the approved site, on green belt land in Renley, Chester Road.
One person sprawled “Welcome to Gypsy land” in graffiti across the bridge in Hapsford.
The council has since removed the offensive graffiti.
After an emergency meeting of Dunham-on-the-Hill and Hapsford Parish Council on Tuesday night, the villages have decided to take action against CWaC who they say gave “incorrect and influential advice” to the planning board.
Chairman of the Parish Council Andy Jones said: “The Parish Council and many residents of Dunham Hill and Hapsford, especially those who live on the A56 are not willing to let this matter rest.
“We intend to take all available legal avenues to highlight the failings of CWaC and prevent further loss of Green Belt land in our parish.”
Ronald Hanson, who has lived on Lower Hapsford Hall, Hapsford for 30 years said: “When people get to this sort of stage of anger and despair they are dangerous.”
“I know the Travellers need somewhere to live but not in our area. We already have too many sites. They may have a temporary planning application but when is it going to stop, like in Alvanley they keep getting another two years.
“We have nothing against the Travellers, but we are surrounded by sites. We are in the middle of dozens of them and that is why we are so fed up, we have got our fair share of them.”
Gill Firth, who lives opposite the approved site in Hillcrest, said: “They did not take into consideration the views of the residents, or support them in their concerns for the area in which we live.”
Now residents are being urged to attend a public meeting on Wednesday (June 8) to be held at the former primary school at 7.30pm to discuss how to take the matter further.
Spokesperson for CWaC Ian Callister said: “Whilst we have yet to hear from Dunham-on-the-Hill and Hapsford Parish Council we have reviewed the footage of the meeting and we are happy that the information provided by our officers to the Planning Board Committee was correct.
“However we are obviously still happy to discuss the issue with the parish council should they so wish.”
