New traveller pitches for Hyndburn

Councillors welcomed the decision to implement the new policy, which had been made under emergency powers, saying it would mean centralised services for Hyndburn’s travelling community while also protecting other sites in the borough from unsuitable development.

Ward councillors said residents in Oswaldtwistle, where two planning applications for traveller sites had been submitted, would be greatly relieved to hear the provision will instead be met at an existing site.

Applications are currently pending at Catlow Hall Street and also at Sough Lane, where an unoffical traveller site is subject to removal orders.

Councillors said that although Hyndburn provides substantially more pitches than other Lancashire districts, the government’s North West of England Plan calls for an extra 10 permanent pitches and five transit pitches in addition to the 15 currently available.

The North West Plan states that travelling is an important part of gypsy identity, adding: “More gypsies and travellers might travel if it were possible to find places to stop without the threat of constant eviction.”

At Hyndburn’s Cabinet meeting where the plans were discussed, Coun leader Peter Britcliffe said: “It’s a government stipulation, we can’t get out of it, even though traveller provision is great in Hyndburn and we have more pitches than the whole of Cumbria.

“If we extend the Whinney Hill site with an extra 15 pitches there is a centralisation of all the traveller influx.

"Hopefully those under removal orders at Sough Lane can be accommodated here if they so wish.”

Coun Doug Hayes said: “It’s extremely good news for residents in Sough Lane and Catlow Hall Street.

"We do cater for traveller communities and in the right places as well.”

However, independent councillor Malcolm Pritchard disagreed: “This site is bad enough for Milnshaw.

"If we increase it by another 15, things will get worse.”