A nine-strong traveller family has failed in another bid to gain planning permission to remain in static caravan homes in Gretna.
The Allan family, including two pensioners and a mum with six kids, had hoped to strike a compromise with Dumfries and Galloway Council by getting rid of one of their two large static caravans/chalets on an unauthorised site near Raydale Park Stadium.
The planning case officer had recommended that councillors should accept this concession and allow the site they’re living on to become a small scale travellers plot.
However, councillors last week voted 10-5 in favour of refusing the application because it failed to meet planning regulations and had caused a loss of privacy to neighbouring residents.
In this latest development in a wrangle spanning nearly three years, the Allan family now face being turfed out of their home.
At the planning committee, six residents living in Milburn Drive and Loanwath Road submitted objections to the application and urged councillors to take their concerns on board.
Elaine Crawford attended in person and told elected members that one of the caravans was situated just nine metres from her home and was overbearing on her property and living space.
She said: “We’re told that we can only object on planning matters and that we’re not allowed to mention all the other things – the police, the abuse, the foul language.
“We would like the committee to consider the hardship of the families who are around this site. We’ve had two years of threats, two years of abuse, two years of everything that they’ve thrown at us.”
Meanwhile, letters were also submitted by four other neighbours to the site.
They complained about “suffering a total loss of privacy” due to the large size of the caravans/chalets, and a proposal to raise the high fencing further was described as “ludicrous”.
Annandale South Councillor Ian Carruthers proposed that the application be refused, stating that the same planning issues and concerns for residents would remain, even with one of the static caravans/chalets being taken away from the site.
Annandale North Councillor Stephen Thompson backed the planning officer’s recommendation, and put forward an amendment for permission to be granted – but this ultimately failed.
He said: “This is a particularly difficult application to determine, given the range of things we have to consider.”
The applicant, George Allan, previously pleaded for permission to stay where they are, arguing that the situation had badly affected the health of him and his wife Jenny.
The council has two designated traveller sites at Glenluce and Collin. However, there is very limited space – and Collin needs millions of pounds worth of investment to meet the Scottish Government’s minimum
standards.
