“East Devon MP Hugo Swire has urged a rethink on council plans to locate a large gypsy and traveller site in Cranbrook.
East Devon District Council, which is obliged to provide 37 new gypsy and traveller pitches in East Devon between now and 2034, is proposing in the latest draft of the local plan to create 30 new pitches in Cranbrook – 81per cent of the council’s overall allocation.
Cranbrook Town Council have opposed the plans.
Mr Swire said: “Obviously the easy thing to do is to put the majority of pitches in the same place but that does not mean it is the right thing to do.
There is more to East Devon than Cranbrook and I believe that other areas such as Axminster and Seaton should all take their fair share.
‘This looks to me like a rushed solution as the lack of identified sites is holding up the Local Plan. The majority of my constituents in Cranbrook have no objection in principle to taking on their share of pitches but it is clearly unfair for the town to have to accommodate over 80% of EDDC’s entire allocation.”
http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/East-Devon-MP-urges-rethink-Cranbrook-gypsy/story-28231277-detail/story.html
No matter that EDDC itself has said that gypsy and traveller sites should be on arterial road routes.
One can only imagine what our two MPs have to say to each other – if, indeed, they speak at all.
Wonder what EDDC councillors in Axminster and Seaton think?
East Devon Watch 