Plans for gipsy bungalows near Dereham

Kathryn Cross Breckland Council could set a national planning precedent after plans were submitted to build six bungalows for gipsies or travellers on land near Dereham.

Kathryn Cross

Breckland Council could set a national planning precedent after plans were submitted to build six bungalows for gipsies or travellers on land near Dereham.

Shirley Macann of Beetley, applied last year for the semi-detached two-bedroomed homes on land in School Lane but the application was withdrawn before a decision was made.

But the plans will go back before the council with some amendments to its policy statement. It is believed that this is the first time an application has been made to erect permanent homes for gipsies instead of providing caravan sites.

The land already has planning permission for six permanent caravan pitches and the new bungalows would be solely for elderly gipsies or travellers aged 55 or over designed “with relevance to adjacent homes and local architecture, evenly distributed on the site to give a sense of integration with the community”.

A supporting letter from Christine Flittner of the East of England planning aid service says the type of accommodation proposed is a “logical solution to the issues facing the elderly community of travellers who wish to live in a more settled and comfortable situation whilst still maintaining the vital links and support of their family, culture and community”.

She told the EDP: “This is a one-off and there is no national planning policy precedent that refers to this type of development. Breckland has the opportunity to be a trailblazer in this whichever way it goes.”