by Alice Scarsi
Rotherham Borough Council describes new plans to add to touring caravan site “an inappropriate development”
Rotherham Borough Council has rejected the plans to build a touring caravan site on green belt land.
Caravan park owner David Hull requested permission to develop twelve more plots in Forge Road, Wales, Sheffield, where there are currently five pitches. The idea was to build them over a former fishing pond, revaluing in this way the soil itself, left to drain away over several years.
The planning documents in support of his project assured that the high demand would have made it quickly profitable, adding: “The caravan facility is heavily booked in the main season.
“The tourism offer is important to Rotherham and an expansion of the facility would bring benefits to the borough.”
Rotherham Borough Council, however, has rejected the application, following opposition to the plans by 23 entities as well as the Wales Parish Council which voices concerns about traffic, litter and pollution that would come with additional tourism in the area.
Rotherham Council said: “The site is within the green belt and the proposed change of use represents inappropriate development that would have a detrimental impact.
“No very special circumstances have been demonstrated to outweigh the harm caused by the inappropriate development”.
What do you think about this decision? Apparently Rotherham Borough Council has chosen to look only at the negative aspects of having more tourists in the green belt land, without paying much attention to the perks. Would 12 more plots unsettle the area so much?
