Somerset Travellers’ Site Expansion Approved as Seven Families Move In

The Stables travellers’ site in Fivehead, Somerset, has received retrospective planning permission to expand, allowing seven additional families to reside on the land. Situated at the junction of Isle Abbotts Road and Stowey Lane, between Ilminster and Langport, the site was originally approved for five pitches earlier this year by Somerset Council.

Now, the council has approved an extension to the site, enabling more families to settle on what is primarily a modest, rectangular parcel of land unsuitable for agricultural use. The expansion includes extending the gravel track southwards, adding seven new pitches alongside extra parking spaces.

Environmental measures have been integrated, with a new package treatment plant installed on the southern edge of the site to offset phosphates from the increased occupancy. This ensures no net phosphate increase affecting the sensitive Somerset Levels and Moors ecosystem.

Representatives from XL Planning Ltd., working with applicant Joe Smith, noted that the families moving in identify as gypsy by definition and had to occupy the site ahead of receiving official permission due to personal circumstances. This expansion responds to a broader identified need for more gypsy and traveller accommodations within Somerset.

Senior planning officer Eren Balkir confirmed that some relatives of Mr. Smith had already been living on the site for approximately eight months. The site currently contains two larger mobile homes and five smaller touring caravans, all occupied by the applicant’s family members. The expanded area will maintain undeveloped land for drainage purposes and include planting of new hedgerows and trees to blend with the surroundings.

The decision was made under the delegated powers of Somerset Council’s planning officers, bypassing a public committee vote, reflecting the site’s local importance and the urgency of the accommodation need.