Well over 100 objections have been submitted in response to an application to house gypsy and traveller pitches on a site just south of Leeds.
The proposal is for six mobile homes, six touring caravans and six dayrooms to be set up at Castle Gate on land neighbouring the M62 south of Rothwell.
Yet the plans have been branded as 'totally unjustified and unacceptable erosion of the Green Belt'.
A similar application for the same site was recommended for approval but refused by a planning committee in June 2017. Now the applicants claim the reasons for the previous refusal 'have been resolved'.
The claim is that the harm to Green Belt is 'outweighed by very special circumstances' - notably the 'lack of alternative sites and need for gypsy and traveller pitches in the district' along with the fact children will be living on the site.
'Any decision should consider the best interests for children on the site'
A letter submitted by Green Planning Studios on behalf of the applicants reads:
"As such any decision taken by the council should be made having considered the best interests of the children on the site."
126 objections have been received since the plans were submitted at the end of August.
'This encroaches on already reduced greenbelt'
"This encroaches on already reduced green belt and has a detrimental environmental impact", was one comment by a concerned resident.
Another said: "In my opinion it is too near the M62 and it would not be good for health reasons with all the fumes and noise from the motorway."
There were concerns for noise from the nearby motorway in the previous refusal by Wakefield Council. This latest application includes a noise assessment recommending an 'appropriate site layout to mitigate the noise from the M62'.
No objections have been submitted by Highways England or West Yorkshire Police. The site has been subject to a number of crime reports - the last one being in September 2018 with no further incidents since that date.
The application is awaiting a decision from Wakefield Council. More details on the proposals can be found here.
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