Planning permission for new traveller site refused

Planning permission for a new Gypsy and traveller site in a county has been refused by a council.

King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council turned down the proposed development on Station Road, West Dereham, Norfolk, which would have created space for 10 static caravans and 10 touring caravans.

The applicant said the scheme would make a "valuable contribution" to the identified need for more Gypsy and traveller pitches in the borough.

On Friday the authority ruled the density of the development would cause harm to the area's "rural locality".

More than 100 objections were recorded against the plan, with concerns raised over the scale of the site and increased traffic.

Among those opposing the development was Terry Jermy, the Labour MP for South West Norfolk, and West Dereham Parish Council.

Some objectors raised that planning permission for a similar scheme had been made in 2024 and was turned down.

The King's Lynn Internal Drainage Board opposed the development because of concerns over how waste water generated from the site would be managed.

The agent for the applicant, SJM Planning, said the risk of flooding on the site was "low" and that the land was not located within an environmentally sensitive area.

King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council previously identified a need for 100 new pitches for Gypsy and travellers, 76 of those are expected to be needed in the next five years.

SJM Planning said the site was within three miles of a number of schools and that road access to nearby towns was good via the A10 and A134.

The council's planners raised concerns about where residents of the site would access schools, doctors and employment opportunities.

The authority said planning permission was refused on the grounds that the area was very rural with a "clear lack of services and infrastructure within the locality".

The scale of the site was also described as "unduly prominent, intense and incongruous" and if approved would be "causing harm to the environment".

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