The proposed site for the Gypsy and Traveller site is shown in the Google Map below. The development will double the size of the central part of the residential area.
View Larger Map
Location
The site is to the southern end of Kneesworth, part of the Bassingbourn-cum-Kneesworth parish. The site itself is between Kneesworth House Hospital which to the east and north, the A1198 along the western boundary and open fields to the south. There is a natural spring in the south-eastern corner, that feeds the stream that marks the border with the hospital, and seen in the following image.
Access to the site is directly from the A1198 (the Old North Road). This road is subject to heavy traffic all week throughout the day.
Current Usage
The landowner is believed to reside in Australia, but has links locally. Currently the site hosts a Dog Training business in the far southern corner. Previous recent use has been used as a Sunday market, although this ceased several years ago.
Proposed Development
We understand that the site is being proposed for eight pitches, there is an important distinction between individual caravans and what is known as a ‘pitch’. A pitch can accommodate multiple caravans belonging to an individual family. The number of caravans can be considered comparable to the number of bedrooms in a house.
A typical ‘pitch’ could include the following:
- an amenity building
- a trailer
- several caravans
- drying space for clothing
- a garden area
- a lockable shed
- parking space for two vehicles
Copy of email from Keith Miles SCDC 24th May 2011
John, Mike,
No sooner did I reply than the information requested was supplied to me.
The following stakeholders have been consulted during the detailed site assessment work for the Former Sunday Market site at Bassingbourn:
- Cambridgeshire County Council – Historic Environment, Highways and Education
- Environment Agency
- Anglian Water & Cambridge Water
- Police & Fire services
The Council consulted on a number of site options in the Issues and Options 2 consultation, having explored various sources of land for new sites, such as land in public ownership, sites with temporary permission, sites at new major developments etc. Many of the sites that performed well against the site assessment criteria are located around Cambridge and in the northern part of the district. The site search process did not identify many opportunities in the southern part of the district primarliy because there is little land in public ownership where delivery could be guaranteed which came out well against the site criteria and many of the larger villages in the south are located in the Green Belt.
Similarly, the Council has had no control over where the new sites proposed through representations are located. However, the Former Sunday Market site appears to be a suitable size to a accommodate a small family group, as preferred by Gypsies and Travellers. In the consultation material the Council stated it would assess any sites put forward during the consultation. The site assessment process has been carried out using the same matrix used to assess sites in the Issues and Options 2 consultation. The criteria contained within the matrix have been drawn up from the various issues consulted on in Issues and Options 1. For further detail on the site assessment criteria see Chapter A of the Technical Annex from Issues and Options 2.
Maps 2 and 3 (pages 132 & 133) in the Issues and Options 2: Site Options and Policies document shows the existing provision of pitches across the district for Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople.
The Gypsy and Traveller DPD page of the website provides further information:
http://www.scambs.gov.uk/ldf/gtdpd
As mentioned at the meeting, the evidence appears to suggest that gypsies and travellers are seeking accommodation for family groups and the proposed site a Kneesworth would house a small family unit. There does not appear to be a preference for any particular location – in response to a quesion in the last Gypsy and Travellers Accommodatio Needs Assessment (2006) about where additional pitches and sites are needed the answer was “more sites anywhere”.
Regards,
Keith Miles
Planning Policy Manager
By: John Spenceley on July 6, 2011
at 8:36 am
Copy of email from Keith Miles SCDC 8th June 2011
Miles Keith to John, chairman
John,
Turning to your questions about pitch occupancy and employment. The Council’s Gypsy & Traveller Liaison Officer has provided me with the following answer:
“With regards to ‘average’ caravan numbers on a pitch, it varies in much the same way as household size varies for the settled community. We work on the basis that any new pitches can accommodate a static caravan, plus one tourer. Obviously this can differ between families, there is no ‘norm’. As a general observation, most of our site pitches have between one and three caravans depending on the size of the family. Those with static homes usually have a tourer that they would use when going away.
Regarding employment locally, most Gypsy/Traveller men are self employed doing landscaping work, jet washing, tree work, etc. The Irish Travellers tend to work more on the roads, very often going abroad to do so. Many Gypsy women are employed in a range of jobs such as cleaning jobs, in schools, in shops, etc, but that is not an exhaustive list as others have become nurses, teachers, fire officers – it really does vary, there is no hard and fast ‘rule’.”
Regards,
Keith Miles
Planning policy Manager
By: John Spenceley on July 6, 2011
at 8:27 am