Gypies & Travellers Permanent Sites, Winsford & Ellesmere Port

The council is committed to taking a proactive approach in planning for future provision of sites to meet the needs of the Gypsy and Travelling communities. The Government believes that everyone should have the opportunity of a decent home, as a key element of any thriving, sustainable community. This is true for the settled and Gypsy and Travelling communities.

We worked closely with the authority to deliver two completed sites in Ellesmere Port and Winsford. Both sites have been developed through consultation with the authority’s Gypsy and Traveller Partnership Co-ordinator, Environmental Health, Spatial Planning, Building Control, Cheshire Constabulary, Highways and Development Management. The sites provide Gypsy and Traveller pitches including; utility blocks, warden’s accommodation and an office. The layouts are designed to give both visual and acoustic privacy – both for people living on the site, and for the nearby residents. The proposals are designed to be aesthetically compatible with the local environment, easily accessible to local services, and located close to established residential developments.

The sites presented several challenges, one site presented, Great Crested Newts, relevant mitigation and other associated ecology issues due to the necessity for a new site access over an existing water course. On the other site we had to plan for demolition of existing industrial buildings, mitigation for the presence of bats, noise issues from existing neighbouring sources and the redesign of an inappropriate existing access junction.