Wiltshire woes

Despite a passionate speech from Gypsy campainers about the lack of support from Wiltshire Council, members of the county's North Area Planning Committee have failed to reach a decision on plans for a permanent Gypsy site in Wootton Bassett.

At the meeting last night councillors deferred a decision on whether to allow a seven pitch Gypsy encampment at the Glenville Nurseries site on Marlborough Road in Wootton Bassett.

During the meeting Romany Gypsy rights advocate Maggie Smith Bendell said the council would be forced to pay for a large Gypsy camp somewhere in the county if they keep refusing to support small scale developments.

She said: "This is a much needed, small site out from the main area of the town.

"There is local racial hatred which has been encouraged by marches and an MP trying to score brownie points.

"This is a small scale site that an be controlled by a set of planning conditions - these are a small group of genuine Romany Gypsies.

"Sites will have to be built and I am afraid this authority will have to foot the heavy bill."

Chair of the Romany Gypsy Advisory Group Sally Woodbury said there would always be objectors as people dont want a permanent Gypsy site close to them.

She said: "The letters of objections are quite disgraceful for a county that has yet to support a Gypsy site.

"There is no right site as no-one wants this in their back garden."

However, Wootton Bassett town councillor Owen Gibbs said the town council was not against the lifestyle of the Gypsies but said the plans fell short of its policy.

He said: "Wootton Bassett Town Council are not opposed to Gypsies, Travellers or nudists.

"We must not support this application because it simply does not meet the planning criteria of the local plan 2011."

Objector David Garland, who lives close to the site, said there were huge concerns about access to the site, flooding and the lack of facilities.

He said: "The site does not have access to reasonable community services and facilities.

"There is no bus service or public transport between the site and the town and so pedestrians would be forced to walk along the busy road.

"The scale of the development does not respect the scale of the nearest settled community - it would overshadow the existing residential development rather than integrate with it."

The proposals, which planning officers had recommended refusing, were deferred for up to two months because members of the planning committee wanted to find out whether there was any evidence of Great Crested Newts living on the site as the planning officer said there was only a chance they may be.