Planning inquiry to decide if Gypsy site gets permission in Cottenham

A public inquiry will decide whether permission is granted for a number of Gypsy and Traveller homes near Cottenham.

South Cambridgeshire District Council refused planning consent in 2022 for the nine pitches on land south of Chear Fen Boat Club, in Twentypence Road, raising concerns including whether a nearby quarry would impact the health of the families living on site.

An appeal has been lodged and a planning inspector will now hear from both sides.

When it made its decision, the council argued the pitches - each with space for a static caravan and a day room - would lead to a “significant urbanisation” of the land.

“The proposal would result in the encroachment into the open countryside and incremental growth in an unsustainable location,” the council said, adding: “To access local services and facilities the future occupiers of the site will have to travel a significant distance via a car.”

It said not enough evidence was presented to show that Mitchell Hill Quarry would not cause “unacceptable amenity issues or adverse impacts to human health” for those living on site, adding that dust and noise were of “particular concern”.

The council also noted that the land was contaminated land and said no assessment had been made to explore the “extent of contamination and any possible risks”.

A representative of the applicant refuted these conclusions in an initial statement of case published following the launch of the appeal.

The representative said: “As a matter of principle Gypsy sites are acceptable within the countryside, provided they do not dominate the nearest settled community.

“It will be demonstrated that the proposed development is not in open countryside.”

The applicants plan to show the site was not in an unsustainable location, arguing the council had “failed to take into account” the distances to places that can be reached by bike or public transport.

The representative said the development would “not have an urbanising effect” and that the “limited impact” could be mitigated with “appropriate landscaping”.

And the inquiry will be told by the applicants that the site is far enough away from the quarry, while any potential contamination could be “adequately addressed”.

The representative added that there were no alternative available sites, adding: “There seems little likelihood that there will be in the foreseeable future”.

The council is unable to show a five-year supply of land for Gypsy and Traveller sites, the representative said.

A date for the inquiry has not yet been set.