Travellers allowed to remain in Shropshire village
A traveller family say they are delighted to have won their four-year battle to stay in a Shropshire village – for the time being.
Shropshire Council refused Jerry and Michelle Berry permission to live on land opposite Henlle Park Golf Club at Gobowen.
They appealed, and this week a planning inspector ruled that they could stay – temporarily.
Inspector Richard McCoy said the family must move off the land after three years.
Mr McCoy said the three-year permission will allow Shropshire Council to provide an alternative site for the family. Mr Berry today said he and his family, who have lived on the site since 2010 without planning permission, were delighted to have won their planning battle.
He said: "We are really happy that at last we have somewhere for the family to reside and we can get things moving and get the place looking like it should. We want to get the place in good order and make it our family home.
"It has been difficult to get on with our lives and at last we have the decision we wanted.
"There are conditions with it but we just wanted a place for us and the kids. We won't expand it or have other families on there."
The inspector's decision follows a planning appeal hearing in Oswestry in October.
The couple appealed after Shropshire Council refused permission to change the use of the land, a former refuse tip, from a field into a gipsy and traveller caravan site including the siting of a chalet and a touring caravan.
The hearing was the second time the family had appealed to use the land for a gipsy and traveller site. They had initially planned to site four chalets and four caravans there but that was rejected by Shropshire Council and refused on appeal.
The family re-applied, this time for permission for only one chalet and caravan for their own personal use. Finding in their favour,
Mr McCoy said: "My attention was drawn to a nearby touring caravan site and a development of log cabins as well as a larger touring caravan park further to the north, all within the countryside."
He added: "In my judgement, a refusal of planning permission would be likely to result in the appellants having to leave the site with no alternative accommodation available to them.
"This may result in the appellants resorting to roadside camping and this could have a detrimental effect on the health and education of the appellants and their children."
