Travelling fairground family may stay on Shropshire school site

The Stokes family has stayed on the site of the former Ifton Heath Primary School in St Martins, near Oswestry, since being given permission to use the land for a temporary 12-month period by Shropshire Council.

But members of Shropshire Council's north planning committee will be asked to consider a bid to extend the arrangement at a meeting next week. The family has for generations travelled Britain with their fairground rides and was for many years based on unused land at the livestock market in Oswestry.

But, when the land was included in the development site for a new market and a supermarket the family found itself without a home for its caravans and fairground rides.

Shropshire Council gave permission for the family to keep its five caravans on the site. The school closed four years ago as part of a shake-up of education that saw the all-through St Martins School created on the site of the village's former Rhyn Park School.

In a report, planning officer Karen Townend said that the council is not able to sell the former school site as it has not yet been agreed by the Education Funding Agency.

"The temporary occupation by the travelling show people has provided a degree of security for the site," she said. "Concern had previously been raised about the fair equipment and vehicles being on site. Mr Stokes has confirmed that the fairground equipment spends most of the year being moved from fair to fair and it is not within his interest to have equipment sat around unused and not making money.

"Although only for an additional nine months, it will provide a settled base and enable the family to continue to access health services and schools which they have been using during their occupation of the livestock market site."

Tuesday's meeting will be held at Shirehall in Shrewsbury and will start at 2pm.