A prolonged five-year planning dispute over travellers’ pitches in Butleigh, a small village near Glastonbury in Somerset, remains unresolved due to ongoing uncertainty about sewage treatment at the site.
Joshua Longhurst-Roberts, who operates Butleigh Landscaping on Wood Lane, received planning permission from Mendip District Council in November 2018 to place six static caravans for holiday lets. Having cleared the site and positioned three caravans, he applied in September 2020 for partial retrospective approval to retain these as travellers’ residential pitches.
Repeated delays in decision-making stem from the district council—and later Somerset Council—addressing the phosphates crisis, working with Longhurst-Roberts to mitigate environmental harm to the Somerset Levels and Moors.
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The Somerset Council planning committee met in Shepton Mallet to reconsider the application but faced a new hurdle: uncertainty over whether sewage from the caravans is managed legally and effectively. This uncertainty threatens to delay decisions until summer.
Currently, three caravans are occupied by members of the same traveller family, who aim to cultivate food onsite and operate the landscaping business. The site plans include an orchard, vegetable patch, and wildlife-friendly garden, designed as a safe and nurturing environment for the family’s children.
A council site visit in January revealed a septic tank installation and two shipping containers, one used as additional accommodation. Local residents voiced strong opposition at the council meeting. Mark White criticized the illegal discharge of sewage from the improperly installed septic tank into a stream and cited ongoing site neglect and accumulation of rubbish despite five years of occupation.
Neighbour Andy Coleman called for delaying the decision until sewage waste issues are legally resolved and ecological reports completed, expressing skepticism about the council’s enforcement record in the area.
Chief planning officer Alison Blom-Cooper acknowledged the council’s reliance on external staff from Lichfield District Council to manage enforcement workloads.
In response, resident Gemma Johnson affirmed that planning officers had inspected and recently emptied the septic tank. She presented Environment Agency records from six years ago confirming the sewage system’s suitability for up to six plots. She emphasized the family’s commitment to being good neighbours by planting native hedges, minimizing light pollution, and adhering to local guidelines for the shipping containers. Johnson described their transformation of the land into a tidy, green homestead and expressed their wish to establish a stable family home within the Butleigh community.
Long-term resident Richard Burdett highlighted village decline, noting closures of the pub and shop and falling school enrollment, suggesting this application offers a welcome alternative to large-scale developments that often fail to attract young families.
Nearby, the council recently approved plans for 32 homes on Sub Road, close to the Wood Lane site.
Council’s senior planning officer Simon Trafford said the committee might need to delay its decision further to clarify whether the site uses a septic tank or a package treatment plant. The latter would chemically reduce phosphates before sewage enters local waterways like the River Brue.
Trafford noted conflicting information and missing paperwork relating to the sewage system’s installation.
Councillor Ros Wyke, chairing the meeting, expressed concern about the council’s limited enforcement capacity and the complexity of the issue.
The committee voted eight to three, with one abstention, to postpone a decision for up to six months pending receipt of further information.