A Gypsy and Traveller family has won a fight and can keep their homes for the next five years.
The family had wanted to extend their existing site at Legacy Park, where they're currently living, in Chatteris Road, Somersham, in order to offer homes to relatives with health conditions who need extra support.
The initial planning application to create the four new pitches had been refused by Huntingdonshire District Council over concerns of flood risk, and the impact of the development on the countryside.
Frederick Adams appealed against the district council’s decision to the planning inspectorate.
The planning inspector who assessed the appeal said they did not think the new homes would harm the countryside due to the planting around the site having become established and providing “effective screening”.
However, they agreed there was a risk of flooding and said they shared the district council’s concerns on this issue.
They said: “It has not been demonstrated that the development will be safe throughout its lifetime and I therefore conclude that this element of the exception test has not been satisfied.
“I therefore find that the development significantly harms the living conditions of future occupiers due to the risk of flooding.”
The inspector also noted that work had already taken place to create the new pitches and said this unauthorised development did weigh against approving the plans.
However, the planning inspector said they recognised the personal benefits to the family of allowing the four new homes to stay.
The inspector’s report explained that elderly relatives of Mr Adams are proposed to live on one of the pitches. The report said they have suffered from ill-health in recent years and relied on family members for day to day support.
Two of the other pitches are proposed to be used by two brothers who both have chronic health conditions, which require specialist hospital treatment.
The fourth pitch is proposed to be used by Mr Adams’ brother, who the report said travels abroad for work, but needs a settled base for the periods he is not working.
The inspector said: “The appeal scheme would facilitate the establishment of a settled base for the intended occupiers whilst enabling some to continue to pursue a nomadic lifestyle for economic purposes.
“This would allow cultural traditions to be balanced with the practicalities of modern living thereby, advancing equality of opportunity.
“Their unmet need for pitches also indicates inequality in housing opportunities and the proposal would help to offset this in a modest way.”
However, the inspector said these benefits did not mean planning permission should be granted and said the flood risk had considerable weight in their decision making.
They said the benefits to the family were not enough to outweigh the harm from the flood risk to give permanent permission for the pitches.
However, the planning inspector said temporary planning permission could be considered.
They said: A temporary permission would allow time for the appellants and the council to work together to find a long term solution and on this basis I consider that a five year temporary permission would be reasonable in this instance and based on the facts of the case before me.
“It would also ensure a continuation of health care provision from specialists at a nearby hospital, which is required by two households, which is a matter to which I have attributed significant weight.”
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