Kettering date for eight-day public inquiry over Loddington Traveller site appeal

The date for an eight-day public inquiry into a controversial Traveller site that is home to eight families has been set for May.

James Delaney and seven other families had bought the land off Cransley Road, Loddington, close to Cransley Reservoir and had started work to clear the field.

The planning authority - the former Kettering Borough Council - first gave a temporary stop notice to works going on at the plot on Friday, October 11, 2019, but the notice was ignored.

A one-day inquiry had been due to take place in November 2021, and now an eight-day inquiry will set out the appeal by Mr Delaney against the enforcement notices.

A public notice giving the reason for the inquiry said: "Without planning permission, the making of a material change of use of the land from a use for agriculture to a use for the stationing and human habitation of caravans, the construction of an area of hard standing together with a hard standing means of access and erection of a breeze block building on the western side of the site adjacent to the point of access onto Cransley Road without the grant of planning permission.

“Relating to the application(s) to the above local planning authority for change of use of land to use as residential caravan site for eight gypsy families, each with two caravans, including erection of eight utility buildings, laying of hardstanding and, improvement of access. At land east of Cransley Road Loddington, NN14 1JX.

“An Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State under paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 6 to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 will attend at the place, date and time shown above to decide the appeal(s).”

Members of the public may attend the inquiry and, at the discretion of the inspector, express their views.

Anyone who needs disabled access to the inquiry should contact North Northamptonshire Council to arrange for access, parking and seating.

In 2019, Kettering Borough Council had said: "We are aware that this is a flagrant breach of planning control and we are doing everything we can within our powers to address it."

The council had received a planning application from the landowner for the site on October 14, 2019, and villagers had reported seeing 'huge lorries' working on the land.

Mr Delaney, an Irish Traveller, said in 2019 the land was bought after the eight families on the site all chipped in. He said: "It’s something that we really, really need it’s not like a housing estate where we are going to earn millions, for every one of us it’s a home, do you know what I mean?

"I've lived around Wellingborough, Kettering and Northampton my whole life."

The public inquiry is due to take place from Tuesday, May 17 to Friday, May 20 for four days and Tuesday, May 24 to Friday, May 27, for four further days, starting at 10am at the council’s Municipal Offices in Bowling Green Road, NN15 7QX.