A ruling over travellers’ plans to build a site on the green belt above Huddersfield is pending.
Travellers have refused to move from moorland off New Hey Road at Scammonden where they have set up an unauthorised site.
After failing to get planning permission from Kirklees Council they took the issue to a formal appeal.
At a hearing at Huddersfield Town Hall last Tuesday, a planning inspector took all the evidence but has not yet made a ruling.
A spokesperson for the council said: “The inspector heard both sides cases and undertook a site visit.
“The hearing closed later the same day and a decision is pending.
“The Inspector did not indicate when a decision could be expected.”
The site near the former Nont Sarah’s pub was set up at the start of this year and only then did the travellers seek planning permission, which was refused.
They then ignored deadlines to quit the site, which they own.
The plans were for a development of pitches for four families of travellers. Each would have two caravans – one mobile and the other touring – and there would be another static caravan too, making nine in total. Cars would also be parked on the site.
The applicant’s name is Thomas Ward and the retrospective application has been submitted to Kirklees Council by Warwickshire-based development consultant Philip Brown, who said previously: “They felt they had to get on with it. In their view they did not have any choice.
“When you are in a position of having appropriate accommodation you have that choice but if that’s not the case then you act in the best way you can for your family and they felt they had to move so it was a case of doing things as quickly as possible.
“They have moved from housing which was causing them a lot of problems. This housing is not what they are used to and it does have an effect on travellers’ mental health. I know this is difficult for people who live in houses to understand but travellers do have an aversion to living in bricks and mortar.”
In recent weeks bulldozers have been seen at work on land next to the site, but it is not clear just what work is going on there.
