“Concerned” residents will debate plans to allocate land in a Wiltshire village to traveller pitches.
Earlier this month Wiltshire Council released a draft of its “Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan”, which outlined the need for over 120 additional traveller pitches in the county by 2038.
One of the sites allocated for new pitches in the plan, which is due to undergo a consultation in August, is Oxhouse Farm, off Devizes Road in the village of Rowde.
If put into action, the initial plan would see the allocation and development of 10 pitches at the site, which benefits from existing access, and achievable water and power connections.
READ MORE: More than 120 traveller pitches needed across Wiltshire by 2038
Part of the land would be redeveloped while the other part would be left as amenity space for residents.
A spokesperson for the parish’s newly formed resident committee said the proposal had created some “concerns” and the committee is keen to hear from residents.
Villagers will be able to voice their opinions on the proposal at a full meeting on Tuesday, July 23.
Wiltshire Council says it has a responsibility to ensure it delivers “well-designed and culturally appropriate” accommodation sites for people who identify as gypsies or travellers.
In total, the plan includes 128 permanent pitches for gypsies and travellers and eight plots for travelling showpeople by allocating new sites and intensifying existing ones.
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