MP raises concerns over Ramsey Gypsy, Roma and Traveller plans

On Monday (March 16), the Development Management Committee of Huntingdonshire District Council will consider six separate applications, each of which is requesting land to the west of Ramsey Heights be changed retrospectively to be used as a Gypsy, Roma & Traveller pitch.

The Labour MP told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that local people had raised the issue with him:

“Residents around Ramsey, especially Ramsey Heights, have significant concerns about these retrospective planning applications and their impact on local residents.”

Mr Carling said he believed the applications made in this case were not appropriate:

“Retrospective applications are meant for small-scale, accidental breaches of planning law,” he said; “not development which was intentionally unauthorised.”

The applications to be considered on Monday state that each pitch will accommodate residential static caravans and touring caravans and will be used by “the applicants and their family.”

Mr Carling intends to raise a number of points when he addresses councillors at the upcoming meeting.

“The committee reports make a number of claims (in relation to reasons that the council should support the applications) which have been discredited on other application sites at appeals elsewhere in the country,” he said.

“I look forward to setting out evidence of this to councillors on Monday as I urge them to reject these applications.”

Mr Carling believes the central government’s aim of changing the National Planning Policy Framework will help local authorities deal with cases like this in the future.

“I welcome the Labour Government’s proposals to change the law so that councils can take into account whether a development intentionally breached planning rules, and use that as part of the case to refuse it,” he said.

“I am pressing for these new powers to be introduced as soon as possible.”